India Book House is an Indian publishing company best known for producing books and comics in English and several Indian languages. It is most widely associated with Amar Chitra Katha, the illustrated comic book series that retells stories from Indian mythology, history, folklore and literature, which the company published for several decades.
| Type | Publishing house |
|---|---|
| Industry | Books and comics publishing |
| Country | India |
| Notable imprint/series | Amar Chitra Katha |
India Book House operated as a publisher and distributor of educational books, general titles and illustrated comics aimed primarily at younger readers. Through its comics list, particularly Amar Chitra Katha, the company played a notable role in popularising visual storytelling drawn from Indian epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, as well as from regional histories and the lives of historical figures.
Amar Chitra Katha was conceived and edited by Anant Pai, popularly known as "Uncle Pai", and became the flagship comics series carried by India Book House. The series covered themes ranging from mythology and folk tales to biographies of saints, freedom fighters and rulers, and was translated into multiple Indian languages. It became one of the most recognised indigenous comics imprints in India and was later acquired by ACK Media, which continues to publish the title.
Beyond comics, India Book House published general trade titles, children's literature and educational material. The companion children's magazine Tinkle, also edited by Anant Pai, was associated with the same publishing ecosystem before being taken over by ACK Media.
India Book House is significant in the history of Indian publishing for helping bring large-scale, illustrated retellings of Indian cultural and historical material to a mass readership. The titles it carried, especially Amar Chitra Katha, became a recurring feature of school libraries and household reading in India through the late twentieth century, influencing generations of readers and later creators of Indian comics and graphic narratives.