Amar Chitra Katha's original numbered series of 426 Indian classical comics began in 1969 with #11, Krishna;⁶ it ended in 1991 with #436, Jawaharla Nehru.⁷ This original series also included three larger special issues;⁸ in addition, during this time ACK reprinted many of the earlier titles individually,⁹ published at least 35 "Bumper Issues" (each re-printing three of these titles as one volume¹⁰), and at one time re-printed the earliest issues in "21 deluxe bound volumes, each containing 10 Amar Chitra Katha titles serially from No. 11 to 210" (sic.¹¹).

From 1991 to 2008 ACK published a new series with issues numbered from 501 (Krishna) to 744 (Chokha Mela). These 244 issues were mostly republications on better paper of issues from the original series, but they also included five new titles.¹² In addition, they published a number of special issues, all but one a combination of earlier single issues. Two of these new special issues are of particular note here: Bhagawat - The Krishna Avata (although it consists of earlier issues, I am missing most of the originals); and Ram Charit Manas¹³ (it apparently is completely new).

In 2007 ACK came under new ownership and media articles from 2009 have suggested that under its new ownership ACK might soon publish more new issues, for the first time writing about living people.¹⁴ However, as of November 2009 their focus was still selling reissues from the original series, to which they had only added a few more (also deleting two) to those that had already been published in the existing 244 issue new series (see their listing as well as some further details).¹⁵ The present web page has only minimal details of publications after 2008; related to this, it should be mentioned that one can find online some confusion about the numbers of these issues, both regarding combined and single publications.¹⁶ This is of particular note with regard to the March to Freedom series.¹⁷

Below I list (there are other lists¹⁸) first the 426 titles (subtitles in quotes) of the original Amar Chitra Katha issues, next the 6 or 7 titles of special issues, then the 5 titles in the new series that were not included in the original series. Appendix I has two lists by number of the new series issues. As for my personal collection, the missing issues are listed below in Appendix II.

011. Krishna	"The childhood of the eighth avatar of Vishnu" (Wiki: Krishna)
012. Shakuntala	"An adaptation of Kalidasa's famous Sanskrit play" (Wiki)
013. The Pandava Princes	"The early life of the heroes of the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Pandavas)
014. Savitri	"Retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Savitri and Satyavan)
015. Rama	"Based on Ram Charit Manas" (7th avatar of Vishnu; Wiki: Versions of Ramayana)
016. Nala Damayanti	"Retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Nala, Damayanti)
017. Harischandra	"The story of the mythological king whose name is synonymous with truth" (Wiki)
018. The Sons of Rama	(Luv and Kush: "based on the 'Uttararamacharita' of Bhavabhuti"; Wiki: Luv, Kusha, Bhavabhuti)
019. Hanuman	"Retold from the Valmiki Ramayana" (Wiki)
020. Mahabharata	(attrib. Veda Vyasa; Wiki: Mahabharata, Veda Vyasa; fuller renditions from #329)
021. Chanakya	("an adaptation of the famous Sanskrit play - Mudrarakshasa"; Wiki: Chanakya, Mudrarakshasa)
022. Buddha	"The founder of Buddhism" (Wiki)
023. Shivaji	(1630-1680; Wiki)
024. Rana Pratap	"The heroic struggle of a Rajput king against the might of an empire" (Wiki)
025. Prithviraj Chauhan	"the legend of a renowned Rajput hero" (Wiki)
026. Karna	"one of the most important characters of the Mahabharata" (Wiki)
027. Kacha	"the boy who placed duty above all else" (inside title: Kacha Devayani; Wiki)
028. Vikramaditya	"the legend of a king of the Gupta dynasty" (Wiki)
029. Shiva Parvati	"Retold from Kalidasa's Sanskrit poem 'Kumarasambhavam'" (Wiki: Shiva, Parvati)
030. Vasavadatta   (and Udayana)	"Retold from the Pali treatise, Dhammapada Atthakatha" (Wiki; compare SwapnaVasavadatta)
031. Sudama	"the story of a divine friendship" (Wiki)
032. Guru Gobind Singh	"the tenth guru of the Sikhs" (Wiki)
033. Harsha	"the great ruler of Thaneshwar" (Wiki)
034. Bheeshma	"the grand old man of Mahabharata" (Wiki)
035. Abhimanyu	"the valiant son of Arjuna, the Pandava" (Wiki: Abhimanyu, Arjuna)
036. Mirabai	"a touching tale of a great devotee of Krishna" (1498-1547; Wiki)
037. Ashoka	"the life of a great son of India, as depicted in the Pali texts" (Wiki)
038. Prahlad	"the child devotee of Vishnu, from the Bhagawat Purana" (Wiki)
039. Panchatantra	"The Jackal & the War Drum and other stories" (10 stories; Wiki: Panchatantra)
040. Tanaji	"the great Maratha warrior" (Wiki)
041. Chhatrasal	"the founder of the kingdom of Bundelkhand" (1649-1731; Wiki)
042. Parashurama	"the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu" (Wiki)
043. Banda Bahadur	"...a recluse turned soldier, whose martyrdom led to the foundation of the Sikh kingdom" (Wiki)
044. Padmini	"the legend of a valiant queen of Chittor" (Wiki)
045. Jataka Tales: Monkey Stories	(Wiki/ignca; The Monkey King's Sacrifice; The Stupid Crocodile and the Monkey; +2)
046. Valmiki	"the story of the author of the epic, 'Ramayana'" (Wiki: Valmiki, Ramayana)
047. Guru Nanak	("the founder of Sikhism"; Wiki)
048. Tarabai	"the valorous queen of Rajasthan" (Wiki)
049. Ranjit Singh	(1780-1839; king of Punjab; Wiki)
050. Ram Shastri	"the Maratha judge - a model of Integrity" (Wiki)
051. Rani of Jhansi	"one of the bravest leaders of the 1857 War of Independence" (Wiki: Lakshmibai, 1857)
052. Uloopi	"from the Mahabharata" (daughter of a Naga king; Wiki)
053. Baji Rao I	"the greatest of the Peshwas" (Wiki); also: Bajirao
054. Chand Bibi	"the valorous princess who withstood the might of the Mughals" (Wiki)
055. Kabir	"the mystic who tried to bring the Hindus and the Muslims together" (Wiki)
056. Sher Shah	"the story of one of the greatest rulers of medieval India" (1486-1545; Bihar; Wiki)
057. Drona	(from the Mahabharata; Wiki)
058. Surya (the sun god)	"retold from the Markandeya Purana" (Wiki: Surya, Markandeya Purana)
059. Urvashi   (and Pururavas)	(adapted from Kalidasa's Vikramorvashiam; Wiki)
060. Adi Shankara	"the story of the expounder of the Advaita school of philosophy" (Wiki)
061. Ghatotkacha	"son of Bheema, the Pandava" (Wiki)
062. Tulsidas	(16th c. author of "Ramcharit-manas"; Wiki)
063. Sukanya	"retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki)
064. Durgadas	"the valorous statesman of Mewar" (Wiki)
065. Aniruddha	"the grandson of Lord Krishna" (Wiki)
066. Zarathushtra	"the founder of Zoroastrianism" (Wiki)
067. The Lord of Lanka	"retold from the Ramayana" (Uttara Kanda; Wiki: Ravana)
068. Tukaram	"the famous poet saint of Maharashtra" (Wiki)
069. Agastya	"from the Ramayana" (Wiki)
070. Vasantasena	"an adaptation of the famous Sanskrit play, Mrichchakatikam" (Wiki)
071. Indra & Shachi	"retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: only Indra)
072. Draupadi	"queen of the Pandavas" (Wiki)
073. Subhadra	"the beloved sister of Krishna" (Wiki)
074. Ahilyabai Holkar	"The pious Maratha queen" (1725-95: "philosopher queen" of Malwa, 1767-95; Wiki)
075. Tansen	"the musician of the court of Akbar" (Wiki)
076. Sundari	"an adaptation of the first novel of Punjabi literature" (in Wiki: Bhai Vir Singh)
077. Subhas Chandra Bose	"one of the most fearless freedom fighers of India" (Wiki)
078. Shridatta	"retold from the ancient Sanskrit classic - Kathasaritsagara" (Wiki)
079. Jataka Tales: Deer Stories	True Friendship; Ruru, the Golden Deer; The Hunter Outwitted; Caution Pays; +2
080. Vishwamitra	"retold from the Ramayana" (Wiki)
081. The Syamantaka Gem	(based on the story in the Bhagawat Purana; Wiki)
082. Mahavira	"the prince who became a recluse and propagated Jainism" (Wiki: Mahavira; Jainism)
083. Vikramaditya's Throne	"adapted from the Vikrama Charita - the history of a legendary king of India" (Wiki)
084. Bappa Rawal     (Missing)	(Eighth century "father of a united Rajasthan"; my copy is #705 from the new series; Wiki)
085. Ayyappan	"the legend of the deity of Shabari Malai" (Kerala; Wiki)
086. Ananda Math	"an adaptation of the famous Bengali classic by Bankim Chandra" (Wiki: Ananda Math, Bankim)
087. Birbal the Just	"the legends about the brilliant wit at Akbar's court" (Wiki; 5 stories)
088. Ganga	"the legend of the most sacred river of India" (Wiki)
089. Ganesha	"the story of one of the most popular deities of the Hindu Pantheon" (Wiki)
090. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu	"the story of the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism" (1486-1533; Wiki)
091. Hitopadesha	"Choice of Friends and other stories" (Wiki)
092. Sakshi Gopal	"The legend of a famous temple near Puri" (Orissa); Wiki: Gopal; temple)
093. Kannagi	"adapted from the famous Tamil epic, Silappadikaram" (Wiki)
094. Narsinh Mehta	"the beloved poet-saint of Gujarat" (15th c.; Wiki)
095. Jasma of the Odes	"an adaptation of a famous legend of Gujarat" (Wiki)
096. Sharan Kaur	"an adaptation of Bhai Vir Singh's Punjabi novel about a famous woman spy" (not in Wiki: Bhai Vir Singh)
097. Chandrahasa	"retold from the Jaimini Bharata" (Wiki: Jaimini)
098. Pundalik and Sakhu (Sukh-Bai)	"two famous saints of Maharahstra" (Wiki: under Vithoba) (Not in Wiki: see ganesh.us)
099. Raj Singh   (Rajsimha, Rajasimha)	"an adaptation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya's famous Bengali novel" (Wiki: under Bankim)
100. Purushottam Dev & Padmavati	"a legend of Orissa" (search "Raja Pursottem Deo", etc.)
101. Vali	"from the Ramayana" (Wiki)
102. Nagananda	"an adaptation of Harsha's famous Sanskrit play" (Wiki)
103. Malavika	"an adaptation of Kalidasa's Sanskrit play 'Malavikagnimitra'" (Wiki)
104. Rani Durgavati	"the life of a Rajput princess who became queen of the Gonds" (see in Rajput India)
105. Dasharatha	"the story of Rama's father" (Wiki)
106. Rana Sanga	"the famous Rajput king" (Wiki)
107. Pradyumna	"the son of Krishna and Rukmini" (Wiki)
108. Vidyasagar	(1820-1891; Bengali writer and social reformer; Wiki)
109. Tachcholi Othenan	"a legendary hero of Kerala" (Wiki: Thachcholi Othenan)
110. Sultana Razia	"the only queen who ruled from the throne of Delhi" (Wiki)
111. Sati and Shiva	(Sati was Shiva's wife; Wiki: Dakshayani and Shiva)
112. Krishna & Rukmini	(ends with their marriage; Wiki: Krishna, Rukmini)
113. Raja Bhoja	"adapted from the Sanskrit classic 'Bhojaprabandha'" (Wiki: Bhoja)
114. Guru Tegh Bahadur	"the story of the ninth guru of the Sikhs" (Wiki)
115. Pareekshit	"the grandson of Arjuna, the Pandava" (Wiki: Parikshit)
116. Kadambari	"an adaptation of Bana Bhatta's Sanskrit classic" (Wiki)
117. Dhruva and Ashtavakra	"...the child devotee of Lord Vishnu, based on the Bhagawat Purana" (Wiki) "...a great child prodigy of the Vedic age, based on the Mahabharata" (Wiki)
118. King Kusha (and Jayampati)	"a Jataka tale" (ignca)
119. Raja Raja Chola	"one of the greatest rulers of south India" (Wiki)
120. Dayananda	"the founder of the Arya Samaj" (1839-1883; Wiki)
121. Veer Dhaval	"an adaptation of Nath Madhav's famous Marathi classic" (Nath: 1882-1928)
122. Ancestors of Rama	"adapted from Kalidasa's Sanskrit epic 'Raghuvamsham'" (Wiki)
123. Ekanath	"the story of a famous saint of Maharashtra" (1533-1599; Wiki: Eknath)
124. Satwant Kaur	"the story of a brave Sikh girl based on a novel by Bhai Vir Singh" (in Wiki: Bhai Vir Singh)
125. Udayana (see #30)	"an adaptation of a famous Sanskrit play by Bhasa" (Wiki: SwapnaVasavadatta, Bhasa)
126. Jataka Tales: Elephant Stories	(The Greedy Forester; The Brave Quail; The Royal Elephant)
127. The Gita	(Bhagavad Gita: spoken by Krishna in the Mahabharata; Wiki)
128. Veer Hammir	"the story of a famous Rajput hero" (Wiki: Rana Hamir)
129. Malati and Madhava	"an adaptation of the famous Sanskrit play by Bhavabhuti" (Wiki: Bhavabuti)
130. Garuda	"the legend of the vehicle of Lord Vishnu" (Wiki)
131. Birbal the Wise (see #87)	(The Wicked Barber; Begum Reconciled; The Dearest Object; Birbal's Visit to Burma)
132. Ranak Devi	"the story of a great queen of Saurashtra" (Wiki: a Rajputani of Junagadh in Gujarat)
133. Maryada Rama	"the legends about a brilliant judge from Andhra Pradesh" (7 tales of "Rama the Just"; NFI)
134. Babur	"the first Mughal emperor of India" (Wiki)
135. Devi Choudhurani	"an adaptation of the famous Bengali classic by Bankim Chandra" (Wiki: under Bankim)
136. Rabindranath Tagore	(1861-1841; Bengal; Wiki)
137. Soordas	"the blind bard who sang about Lord Krishna" (Wiki)
138. Panchatantra (see #39)	"The Brahman & the Goat and other stories" (6 stories)
139. Prince Hritadhwaja	"retold from the Markandeya Purana" (Wiki: Markandeya Purana; and Maladasa; also Ritudhwaj)
140. Humayun	"the second Mughal emperor" (Wiki)
141. Prabhavati	"the story of Krishna's daughter-in-law" (?; not Wiki)
142. Chandra Shekhar Azad	"great Indian revolutionary" (1906-1931; Wiki)
143. A Bag of Gold Goins	"two tales retold from Anwar-i-Suhaili" (Persian Panchatantra)
144. Purandara Dasa	"the father of Karnatak music" (Wiki)
145. Bhanumati	"the grand-daughter of Krishna"
146. Vivekananda	"the patriot-saint of modern India" (1863-1902; (Wiki)
147. Krishna & Jarasandha	"the story of how the invincible Magadhan emperor was vanquished" (Wiki: Jarasandha)
148. Noor Jahan	"the most powerful Mughal queen" (Wiki)
149. Elephanta	"the legends about the sculptures on Elephanta island" (Wiki)
150. Tales of Narada	"the most famous sage of the Puranas" (Wiki)
151. Krishnadeva Raya	"the greatest emperor of Vijayanagara" (16th c. Karnataka; Wiki)
152. Birbal the Witty (see #87)	(The Ten Greatest Fools; The Crows of Agra; Shah of Persia; The Seal; Akbar the Great)
153. Madhvacharya	(1238-1317; Karnataka; Wiki; also Madhwacharia)
154. Chandragupta Maurya	"retold from the Mudra Manjusha" (Wiki)
155. Jnaneshwar	"the founder of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra" (Wiki: Dnyaneshwar)
156. Bagha Jatin	"the saga of a great Indian revolutionary" (Wiki)
157. Manonmani	"retold from a famous Tamil classic" (a play by Sundaram Pillai; q.v.)
158. Angulimala	"the robber who became a saint" (Wiki)
159. The Tiger & the Woodpecker	"and other stories; retold from the Telugu classic Keyurabahu Charitramu" (6 stories)
160. Tales of Vishnu	"retold from the Bhagawat Purana" (Gajendra [Indrayumna]; Ambarisha; Vrikasura; Rantideva)
161. Amrapali and Upagupta	"two Buddhist tales"; first: from Maha-Parinibbana Sutta and Malasarvastivadas (Wiki) second: adaptation "omits a few gruesome details"
162. Yayati	"retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki)
163. Panchatantra (#39)	"How the Jackal Ate the Elephant and (5) other stories"
164. Tales of Shiva	(one each from the Mahabharata, Tiruvachagam and Skanda Purana [Wiki])
165. King Shalivahana	"the potter who became a great king" (Wiki)
166. The Rani of Kittur	"the brave rani who defied the might of the British" (Wiki)
167. Krishna & Narakasura	(from the Bhagawat Purana and other sources; Wiki: Narakasura)
168. The Magic Grove	"a Jain story" (from Vardhaman-Desana; see Wiki Jainism)
169. Lachit Barphukan	"the story of one of the greatest generals of Assam" (Wiki: Lachit Borphukan)
170. Indra & Vritra	"the story of Indra's encounter with his arch enemy" (Wiki: Vritra)
171. Amar Singh Rathor	"the dashing Rajput who valued self-respect above everything else" (Wiki: Rathore)
172. Krishna & the False Vaasudeva	(from the Bhagawat Purana; Wiki: Paundraka Vasudeva)
173. Kochunni	"the beloved bandit of Kerala" (Wiki: under Kayamkulam)
174. Tales of Yudhishthira	"retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Yudhisthira)
175. Hari Singh Nalwa	"a great general of Punjab" (Wiki)
176. Tales of Durga	"stories of the mother goddess retold from the Markandeya Purana" (Wiki: Durga, Devi, Shakti. Slayer of Mahisha; Chamundi [slayer of Chanda and Munda]; How Durga Slew Shumbha)
177. Krishna & Shishupala	(also concerns Rukmini - see in Wiki)
178. Raman of Tenali	"the inimitable court jester of Krishnadeva Raya" (Wiki: Tenali Ramakrishna)
179. Paurava & Alexander	"...the encounter between a great conqueror from the West and a brave king from the East" (Wiki: Porus)
180. Indra & Shibi	"and other tales; four tales of Indra, the King of the Devas" (Wiki: Shibi, Uttanka, Asura King, Yavakrita)
181. Guru Har Gobind	"the saint-soldier who was the sixth guru of the Sikhs" (Wiki)
182. The Battle for Srinagar	"the heroic saga of the battle fought in 1947" (Wiki)
183. Rana Kumbha	"the great ruler of Mewar who built the tower of victory in Chittor" (Wiki)
184. Aruni and Uttanka	"the story of two devoted disciples of ancient India" (Wiki: Aruni) (disciple of Gautama Maharishi [Wiki])
185. Hitopadesha	"How Friends Are Parted, and (two) other stories" (Wiki)
186. Tiruppan and Kanakadasa	"two tales of devotion" (Tiruppan: in Tamil Nadu, "last of the 12 Alvars"; Wiki: Alvars, Valluvar) (Wiki: Kanakadasa; in Karnataka)
187. Tipu Sultan	"the tiger of Mysore" (Wiki)
188. Babasaheb Ambedkar	(1891-1956; Wiki: B. R. Ambedkar)
189. Thugsen	"a Marathi folktale" ("the prince who became a thief and trickster in order to avenge an injustice)
190. Kannappa	"the devotee who offered his eyes to Lord Shiva" (Wiki: under Kannappa Nayanar)
191. The King in a Parrot's Body	"a Jain tale" (story of King Shuklapaksha)
192. Ranadhira	"the valorous king of Mysore" (1638-1659; Wiki: under Maharajas of Mysore)
193. Kapala Kundala	"based on Bankim Chatterji's novel" (Wiki: Kapilkundala, under Bankim)
194. Gopal & the Cowherd (Krishna)	"a popular folktale" ("based on the version in Cradle Tales of Hinduism, by Sister Nivedita" [Wiki])
195. Jataka Tales	"Jackal Stories" (The Jackal and the Rats; ...and the Lion; The Clever Jackal; +3)
196. Hothal	"based on a famous ballad from Gujarat" (story of Odha and Hotal, an apsara)
197. The Rainbow Prince	"two folk tales from Bengal" (other is The Faithful Shepherd)
198. Tales of Arjuna	(Arjuna, the monkey and the boy; Arjuna defeats Indra; Arjuna humbled; Wiki: Arjuna)
199. Chandralalat	"the prince with a moon on his forehead" (popular Bengali folktale)
200. Akbar	"the great Mughal" (Wiki)
201. Nachiketa	"and other stories from the Upanishads" (Wiki: Upanishads, Nachiteka, Satyakama, Prajapati)
202. Kalidasa	"the famous Sanskrit poet" (Wiki)
203. Jayadratha	"retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Jayadratha)
204. Shah Jahan	"the fifth Mughal emperor" (Wiki)
205. Ratnavali	"an adaptation of King Harsha's famous Sanskrit play" (Wiki)
206. Jayaprakash Narayan	(1902-1979; freedom fighter, politician - Wiki)
207. Mahiravana	"the son of Ravana" (Wiki)
208. Jayadeva	"author of the famous Gita-Govinda" (Wiki: Jayadeva; Gita Govinda)
209. Gandhari	"the mother of the Kaurava princes" (Wiki)
210. Birbal the Clever	(The Punishment; The Most Beautiful Child in Agra; The Whim of a Child; +6)
211. The Celestial Necklace	"a Jain story" ("based on a version by Muni Mahendrakumar)
212. Basaveshwara	(1134-1196; Wiki: Basava)
213. Velu Thampi	"a valiant son of Kerala" (Wiki)
214. Bheema & Hanuman	"retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: see under Hanuman; see also Bhima)
215. Panna and Hadi Rani	"two tales of self-sacrifice" (from Rajasthan; 1: the maid Panna helps Uday Singh of Mewar) (2: Ratna Singh and Hadi Rani help Raj Singh and Prabhavati)
216. Rani Abbakka	"the queen of Ullal who stood up to the might of the Portuguese" (Wiki)
217. Sukhu & Dukhu	"folktales from Bengal" (also The Seventh Queen, The Value of Tears)
218. Jataka Tales	"The magic chant and other stories" (Also: The Drummer; The Sadhu and the Ram; +3)
219. Lokmanya Tilak	(1856-1920; Wiki)
220. Kumbhakarna	"retold from the Krittivasa Ramayana" (Wiki: Kumbhakarna, Versions of Ramayana)
221. Jahangir	"the fourth Mughal emperor" (Wiki)
222. Samarth Ramdas	"Shivaji's spiritual guide" (Wiki)
223. Baladitya & Yashodharma	"the valiant kings who stood up to the Hunas" (see Wiki: Mihirahuna)
224. Jataka Tales	"Nandi Vishala and other stories" (The Servant and the Treasure; The Hypocritical Sadhu; +2)
225. Tales of Sai Baba	(d. 1918; Wiki: Sai Baba of Shirdi; Baba comes to Shirdi; Baba and the Oil Vendors; +9)
226. Raman the Matchless Wit	(court jester of Krishnadeva Raya, 1509-1529)
227. Sadhu Vaswani	(1879-1966; try Wiki or ?)
228. Birbal to the Rescue	(A Potful of Wisdom; The Emperor's Touch; A Widow's Savings; The Perfect Portrait; +2)
229. Shankar Dev	"the story of a great saint of Assam" (Wiki)
230. Hemu	"a forgotten hero" (16th c. Delhi; Wiki)
231. Bahubali	(first Tirthankara revered by Jains; Wiki)
232. Dara Shukoh & Aurangzeb	(Wiki)
233. Panchatantra (#39)	"The Dullard & Other Stories" (The Greedy Barber; The Mongoose and the Brahman's Wife; +3)
234. Bhagat Singh	"the story of a martyr" (Wiki)
235. The Adventures of Agad Datta	"two Jain tales retold from Vasudeva Hindee" (Vasudevahindi; also: The Royal Priest)
236. Bahman Shah	"the founder of the Bahmani dynasty" (Wiki: Hasan Gangu)
237. Gopal the Jester	"the clever barber of Krishnanagar" (Gopal Bhand: Gopal Measures the Earth; +6)
238. Friends and Foes	"Animal Tales from the Mahabharata" (The Tiger and the Jackal; The Sage and the Dog; +1)
239. Hakka & Bukka	"the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire" (Wiki: Harihara I, Bukka)
240. Sahasramalla	"a Jain story" ("from the Vardhaman-desana")
241. Balban	"the iron man of the Slave Dynasty" (Wiki)
242. Panchatantra (#39)	"Crows and owls and other stories" (The Noble Enemy; The Bird and the Monkeys; The Camel beguiled)
243. Ramanuja	(1017-1137 [sic.]; Tamil; Wiki)
244. The Pandavas in Hiding	"Retold from the Mahabharata"
245. Tyagaraja	"the saint who sung his way to the feet of the lord" (Wiki)
246. The Giant & the Dwarf	"a Jataka tale"
247. Jataka Tales	"Stories of Wisdom" (The Wide Leader; The Prince and the Seedling; The Clever Son; +3)
248. Bidhi Chand	"based on a popular Sikh legend" (Wiki)
249. The Learned Pandit	"and other tales told by Ramakrishna" (The Traveller and the Wish-Tree; +4)
250. Sambhaji	"Son of Shivaji" (Wiki)
251. Baddu & Chhotu	"The adventures of....; a folktale from Bengal"
252. Karttikeya	"adopted from the Skanda-Purana-Samhita" (Wiki: Muruga, Skanda Purana)
253. The Golden Mongoose	"and other tales from the Mahabharata" (The Enlightened Butcher; The Pigeon's Sacrifice)
254. Hanuman to the Rescue	"Retold from the Krittivasa Ramayana" (Wiki: Hanuman, Versions of Ramayana)
255. Mystery of the Missing Gifts	"a Folktale from Madhya Pradesh" (+ The Sound of Music, from Karnataka)
256. Sakhi Sarwar	"a Folktale from Punjab" (Wiki)
257. The Queen's Necklace	"and other stories from Jatakas" (The Greedy Fisherman; The Greedy Hawker)
258. The Secret of the Talking Bird	"a folktale from Karnataka" (retold from narration of Dr. Chandrashekar Kambar [Wiki])
259. The Miraculous Conch	"and A Game of Chess" (as told by John Dorairaj in a collection of folktales)
260. Sri Ramakrishna	(1836-1886; Wiki)
261. The Fool's Disciples	"a tale of humour from South India" (adapted from book in Tamil by Fr. C. J. Beschi [Wiki])
262. Rash Behari Bose	"story of a revolutionary" (1886-1945; Wiki)
263. The Prince & the Magician	"based on the Telugu folktale, Bala Nagamma" (Andhra Pradesh; Mother: Bala Nagamma; Prince: Balaraju)
264. The Hidden Treasure	"a Jataka tale" (Janaka becomes King of Mithila [Wiki])
265. Echchama the Brave	"a historical tale from the south" (17th c.; also: Echchama Nayak, Yachama, q.v. under Rama Deva Raya)
266. Manduka - the lucky astrologer	"a tale from the Kathasaritsagara; and The Hidden Meaning" (inspired by Manduka)
267. The Pandit & the Milkmaid	"and other tales told by Ramakrishna"
268. Tales of Shivaji	"Hira the Milkmaid; The Rani of Belavadi; The Gift"
269. Jataka Tales	"The Mouse Merchant; also The Invaluable Treasure"
270. The Tiger-Eater	"and The Bear Comes to Dinner; two folktales from Punjab"
271. Lal Bahadur Shastri	(1904-1966; Wiki)
272. Andher Nagari	"adapted from Bharatendu's famous Hindi play" (Wiki: Bharatendu Harishchandra, 1850-1885)
273. The Churning of the Ocean	"mostly from the Bhagavata (Purana) and the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Ocean of Milk/Samudra manthan)
274. Kesari, the flying thief	"and other Jain tales" (also: Vasudeva; Jinadatta)
275. Subramania Bharati	"the story of the poet-patriot of Tamil Nadu" (1882-1921, Wiki)
276. Animal Tales from Arunachal Pradesh	The Pig and the Dog; The Owl and the Tiger; Why Crabs have Flat Bodies; +5 more
277. Jataka Tales	"Tales of Misers": Ilisa, the Gildmaster; Kesiya
278. Bimbisara	"the emperor of the Magadha" (Wiki)
279. Jataka Tales: Bird Stories	The Value of Friends; Greed does not Pay; The Loyal General; Practise what you Preach; +1
280. Kumanan	"the generous Tamil king of the Sangam age" (1st c. CE [Wiki: Sangam]; praised in Purananuuru [Wiki])
281. Shunahshepa	"retold from the Aitareya Brahmana" (Wiki; Shunahshepa attains divine powers)
282. The Taming of Gulla	"retold from a Kannada classic" (Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu by G. R. Iyengar; made into a film: Wiki)
283. Jagannatha of Puri	(In Orissa; Wiki)
284. Albert Einstein	"the scientist who belonged to mankind" (Wiki)
285. Joymati	"a tale from Assam" (Wiki)
286. Thanedar Hasan Askari	"the extraordinary police officer of Uttar Pradesh" (in 1930s)
287. The Pious Cat & other tales	"Animal tales from Rajasthan" (+ The Quick Witted Frog; A Deer Story)
288. Bikal the Terrible and The Tiger-Tamers	Two "tales from Madhya Pradesh" ("Bikal" means something to be feared) (two young boys tame a tiger)
289. The Elusive Kaka (village chief)	"retold from a Kannada classic" (from the play Kakana Kote by Srinivasa [Wiki])
290. Ramana Maharshi	(1879-1950, Tamil Nadu; Wiki)
291. The Prophecy	"A Tibetan tale" (Buddhist story: Goshthili helps the youngest son become king of Varanasi)
292. Chokha Mela	"Poet-saint of Maharashtra" (Wiki)
293. Beni Madho (and Pir Ali)	"Glimpses of 1857" (Rana Beni Madho of Baiswara fights British; Wiki: 1857) (A tailor from Patna hanged by British)
294. Durgesh Nandini	"a historical romance from Bengal" ('Daughter of the Fort Lord'; from the 1st novel of Bankim)
295. Guru Arjan	(1563-1606; fifth Sikh guru, first martyred saint [Wiki])
296. Mahamati Prannath	"the founder of the Pranami sect" (Wiki: under Panna)
297. The Lost Prince	"A Tibetan tale" (Buddhist Sanskrit story of Papankara and Kshemankara, retranslated from Tibetan)
298. Damaji Pant and Narhari	15th c. devotee of Vithala/Vitthala (Wiki: Vithoba) 14th c. devotee of Vithala
299. The Silent Teacher	"a Buddhist tale" (Abja renounces the throne; plus Buddhism in Tibet)
300. Delhi	"the historic city of...." (Wiki)
301. Tripura	"The Puranic story of the creation and destruction of three satellite cities" (Wiki)
302. Dhola & Maru	"Retold from a Rajathani Ballad" (see under Mehrangarh Fort)
303. Senapati Bapat	(1880-1967; Wiki)
304. Doctor Kotnis in China	(1910-1942; Wiki)
305. Ravana Humbled	"Three tales about the Lord of Lanka" (At the Feet of Shiva; The Mahishmati Episode; Taipiece)
306. The Story of a Scientist	"Yellapragada Subbarow" (1895-1948; Wiki)
307. The Bridegroom's Ring	"Two Pahari tales" ("from Garhwal in Uttar Pradesh; other is The Kayastha & his Guest)
308. Andhaka	"the demon son of Shiva" (Wiki)
309. Veer Savarkar in the Andamans	(1883-1966; Wiki)
310. The True Conqueror	"and other Buddhist Tales" (The Bowl of Rice; Duggata's Guest)
311. Kunwar Singh	"Glimpses of 1857" (Wiki: Kunwar Singh, 1857)
312. Tales of Balarama	(Krishna's elder brother; Wiki)
313. Shantala	"the queen who lived and died for a principle" (wife of Vishnu Vardhana [Wiki], 1108-1152)
314. The Acrobat	"and other Buddhist Tales" (+ The Harvest; The Golden Maiden; Buddha and Krisha Guatami)
315. The Golden Sand (and The Mother)	"a tale from Nepal" (Sakhwal the sand merchant becomes Shankhdhar) (mother of Dravyashah and Narharishah; plus The Kingdom of Nepal)
316. The Parijata Tree	"and other tales of Krishna" (+ Lakshmana; Tulabhara)
317. Annapati Suyya	"Retold from Kalhana's Rajatarangini" (Wiki)
318. The Cowherd of Alawi	"and other Buddhist tales" (+ The Path of Moderation; The Witness)
319. Ashwins to the Rescue	"adapted from the Rigveda" (New Series title: Ashwini Kumar; Wiki: Ashvins, Rig Veda)
320. Chandrapeeda	"and other tales of Kashmir" (+ Raja Jayapeeda; Raja Yashaskara Deva and the Purohit; from Rajatarangini)
321. The Green Demon	"and (4) other Sufi tales" (The Perfectionist, etc.; also Sufi Saints of India)
322. Shrenik "and The Hidden Truth"	("Jaina tales"; #1: from Harishena's Bhrihat Katha Kosha, 10th c.) (from Rajashekara's Vinodakathasangraha, 14th c.)
323. Samudra Gupta	(4th century CE; Wiki)
324. Nahusha	"an ancestor of the Pandavas" ( Wiki)
325. Jagadis Chandra Bose	(1858-1937; Wiki)
326. Tales of Avvaiyaar	"a poet saint of Tamil Nadu" (Avvai and Paari; The Sole Consideration; Avvai to the Rescue; +1; Wiki)
327. Tapati	"The daughter of the Sun God, two tales from the Mahabharata" (Samvarana/Tapati; Ruru/Pramadvara)
328. Rajbala (and Ajit Singh) and Bir Singh and Sunderbai	"two tales from old Sind" (now in Pakistan; Rajbala dresses as a male warrior) (Sunderbai also dresses as a male warrior)
329. Veda Vyasa	"Mahabharata-1" (Veda Vyasa is reputed author; short: #20; Wiki: Mahabharata, Vyasa)
330. Vidyut Chora	"a Jain tale" (from Shivakotyacharya's Vaddaradhane [Wiki])
331. Bheeshma's Vow	"Mahabharata-2"
332. Birbal the Genius	(How Akbar Met Birbal; The Washerman and the Potter; The Corrupt Official; The Answer is No; +1)
333. The Advent of the Kuru Princes	"Mahabharata-3" (Wiki: Kauravas)
334. Mangal Pande	"Glimpses of 1857" (Wiki: Mangal Pande, 1857)
335. The Pandavas at Hastinapura	"Mahabharata-4" (Wiki: Kunti, Hastinapura)
336. The Fearless Boy	"and other Buddhist tales" (The Two Disciples; The Great Architect)
337. Enter Drona	"Mahabharata-5"
338. The Legend of Lalitaditya	"retold from Kalhana's Rajatarangini" (Wiki: Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir)
339. Enter Karna	"Mahabharata-6"
340. The Making of a Swordsman	"Zen tales from Japan" (+ Gift versus Theft; The Theft of the Cotton Rolls; +6)
341. The Conspiracy	"Mahabharata-7"
342. The Battle of Wits	"a Jataka tale" (King Vaideha adopts Aushadha Kumar)
343. The Escape	"Mahabharata-8"
344. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das	(1870-1924; Wiki)
345. Birth of Ghatotkacha	"Mahabharata-9"
346. Legend of Maarthaanda Varma	"a historical romance from Kerala" (from an 1890 novel by C. V. Raman Pillai [Wiki])
347. The Pandavas at Ekachakra	"Mahabharata-10"
348. March to Freedom 1:	"Birth of the Indian National Congress" (Wiki)
349. Enter Draupadi	"Mahabharata-11"
350. Guru Ravidas	(1450-1540; near Varanasi; Wiki)
351. Draupadi's Swayamvara	"Mahabharata-12"
352. The Adventures of Pratapan	"Retold from the famous Tamil classic Pratapa Mudaliar Charitram" (by Vedanayakam Pillai, 1826-1889)
353. The Pandavas recalled to Hastinapura	"Mahabharata-13"
354. Sea Routes to India	(concerns Vasco da Gama [Wiki])
355. Arjuna's 12-year Exile	"Mahabharata-14"
356. March to Freedom 2:	A Nation Awakes
357. A Hall for Yudhishthira	"Mahabharata-15"
358. Jallianwalla Bagh	"the beginning of the end of the British Raj" (in Amritsar, 1919; Wiki)
359. The Pandavas conquer the world	"Mahabharata-16"
360. March to Freedom 3	The Saga of Indian Revolutionaries
361. Yudhishthira's Rajasooya Yajna	"Mahabharata-17"
362. The Priceless Gem	"a Jataka tale" (concerns Aushadha Kumar Wiki)
363. Indraprastha Lost	"Mahabharata-18"
364. Khudiram Bose	(1889-1908; Wiki)
365. Pandavas in the Forest	"Mahabharata-19"
366. Patali Putra	"and other tales from the Kathasaritsagara" (The Right Moment; Punyasena)
367. Arjuna's quest for weapons	"Mahabharata-20"
368. The Nawab's Dream	"and other Tamil tales" (same source as #352; Kanakan Finds a Home; A Bet; +4)
369. Arjuna in Indraloka	"Mahabharata-21"
370. Raja Desing	"the legendary hero of Tamilnadu" (see Raja Tej Singh under Wiki Gingee Fort)
371. The Reunion	"Mahabharata-22"
372. Panchatantra (#39)	"The Greedy Mother-in-law & other tales"
373. Duryodhana Humbled	"Mahabharata-23" (Wiki: Duryodhana)
374. Hamsavali	"based on a story from the Kathasaritsagara"
375. The Twelfth Year	"Mahabharata-24"
376. Lila & Chanesar	"a legend from Sind immortalised by Shah Abdul Latif"
377. The Pandavas at Virata's Palace	"Mahabharata-25"
378. Shringabhuja	"Based on a story from the Kathasaritsagara"
379. Panic in the Kaurava Camp	"Mahabharata-26"
380. Padmavati	"a tale from Vetala Panchavimshati"
381. Sanjaya's Mission	"Mahabharata-27"
382. G. D. Birla	"who revolutionised Indian industry" (1894-1983; Wiki: Ghanshyam Das Birla)
383. Duryodhana Refuses to Yield	"Mahabharata-28"
384. Megasthenes	"the Greek ambassador to India" (Wiki)
385. Krishna's Peace Mission	"Mahabharata-29"
386. Fa Hien	"the Chinese traveller who visited India during the Gupta period" (Wiki: Fa Xian)
387. The War Begins	"Mahabharata-30"
388. Sundarasena	"Based on a story from the Kathasaritsagara"
389. Bheeshma in Command	"Mahabharata-31"
390. Hiuen Tsang	"the Chinese pilgrim who toured India during Emperor Harsha's time" (See Tripitaka; Wiki: Xuan Zang)
391. The Fall of Bheeshma	"Mahabharata-32"
392. Tales from the Upanishads	Shvetaketu, Raikva the Cartman, When the Devas were Humbled; The Bold Beggar
393. Drona's Vow	"Mahabharata-33"
394. Pulakeshi II	"the king who defeated emperor Harsha" (Wiki)
395. The Slaying of Abhimanyu	"Mahabharata-34"
396. Glory of the Rashtrakootas (8th-10th c.; Wiki)	In the new series (q.v.) this has become the subtitle; the main title is Ellora Caves (Wiki)
397. Arjuna Fulfils his Vow	"Mahabharata-35"
398. Chennamma of Keladi	"She braved the wrath of Aurangzeb to protect Rajaram" (Wiki)
399. The Battle at Midnight	"Mahabharata-36"
400. The Deadly Feast	"a Jataka tale"
401. Ajatashatru	(Wiki; son of King Bimbisara during time of the Buddha)
402. Karna in Command	"Mahabharata-37"
403. Narayana Guru	(1856-1928; Kerala; Wiki)
404. The Kurus Routed	"Mahabharata-38"
405. Prince Jivaka	"The heroic tale of..." (Wiki: Civaka Cintamani)
406. After the War	"Mahabharata-39"
407. Kohinoor     (Missing)	(Wiki)
408. Yudhishthira's Coronation	"Mahabharata-40"
409. The Ashwamedha Yajna	"Mahabharata-41"
410. Kanwal & Kehar	"a legend from Rajasthan"
411. The Celestial Reunion	"Mahabharata-42"
412. Roopmati	(Rani Rupmati, 16th c. singer and bin player in Malwa [now in Madhya Pradesh]; Wiki)
413. Krishna, the Darling of Gokul	Bhagawat Purana-1 (Wiki: Bhagawat Purana)
414. Mahatma Gandhi (Wiki)	"The early days" (see comment under March to Freedom series)
415. Krishna, the Subduer of Kalia	Bhagawat Purana-2
416. Mahatma Gandhi	"The father of the nation" (see comment under March to Freedom series)
417. Krishna, the Upholder of Govardhana	Bhagawat Purana-3
418. The French Revolution	(Wiki; published October 1, 1989)
419. Krishna: Victory over Kamsa	Bhagawat Purana-4
420. Inimitable Birbal	(Pandit Gangaram; The Only Rooster; Parting of Friends; The Phases of the Moon; +4)
421. Krishna, Lord of Dwaraka  (Missing)	Bhagawat Purana-5; my copy is from Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000 (not in Wiki list)
422. Louis Pasteur	1822 – 1895 (Wiki)
423. Krishna, the Enchanter  (Missing)	Bhagawat Purana-6; my copy is from Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000 (not in Wiki list)
424. The Clever Dancer  (Missing)	(Concerns Mohini [Wiki])
425. Krishna, the Victorious	Bhagawat Purana-7
426. Jataka Tales: True Friends  (Missing)	(My copy is #614 from the new series: True Friends; Kanni, the Unlucky; A Monk in Need is a Friend Indeed)
427. Krishna, Ally of the Pandavas  (Missing)	Bhagawat Purana-8; my copy is from Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000 (not in Wiki list)
428. Napoleon Bonaparte  (Missing)	1769 – 1821 (Wiki)
429. Krishna, the Saviour  (Missing)	Bhagawat Purana-9; my copy is from Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000 (not in Wiki list)
430. An Exciting Find  (Missing)	(Two kids travel back in time to the Indus Valley Civilization [Wiki])
431. Jataka Tales: Stories of Courage (Missing)	(The Brave Pig; The Deer's Disciple; The Golden Crab; The Faithful Samukha. My copy is #615 in the new series)
432. The Indus Valley Adventure	"The Route to the Roots" (continues on from #430)
433. The Quick Witted Birbal  (Missing)	(#602; also see Birbal above)
434. The Chosen Bridegroom  (Missing)	(a swayamvara [Wiki)] tale?)
435. Pierre and Marie Curie  (Missing)	(Wiki: Pierre and Marie)
436. Jawaharlal Nehru  (Missing; see footnote)	(Wiki; my copy, #700 in the new series, has on back the subtitle "The Early Days")

 
Special Issues

1. Dasha Avatar (1978; new series 10002)	"The 10 Incarnations of Vishnu" (Wiki Vishnu, Avatars:   Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki [future];     elsewhere it also sometimes includes Hayagriva, Balarama.)
2. Valmiki's Ramayana (Missing)           (1978; new series 10001)	Compare Ram Charit Manas, another version of the Ramayana     my copy is from the new series
3. Jesus Christ           (1980; new series 10003)	Preface by Cardinal Lawrence T. Picachy, S.J.
-   Mahabharata (Missing)           (1989; no number in either series)	A set of 3 volumes reprinting the original 42 issues;     I have this from the original issues: odd numbers above from #329 to 411
New series only, not numbered	Other new series special editions all combine issues from the original series
-   Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar           (2000)	One volume reprinting 9 issues, retold from Bhagawat Purana (Wiki)     see odd numbers above from #413 to 429
-   Ram Charit Manas           (2007; compare Valmiki's Ramayana)	Wiki; by Tulsidas; 160 pp. combining 5 apparently new volumes:     The Childhood Days of Ram     Ram in Exile     The Abduction of Sita     In Search of Sita     Ram, the Victorious
-   Mahatma Gandhi           (2009)	One volume, contents uncertain to me: does it consist only of #414 and #416, as its price suggests, or does it add unpublished material from the March to Freedom Series, specifically The Tryst with Destiny?

 
New series additions
Online lists (mentioned below) include the following five titles not in the original series (see also the further comments regarding the three missing titles in the March to Freedom series). I have all but the the first, #679.

679. Swami Pranavananda (1998)	"Modern life meets ancient wisdom" (not currently available; Wiki)
732. Swami Chinmayananda (2001)	(Wiki)
735. JRD Tata (2004)	"The Quiet Conqueror" (Wiki)
736. Kalpana Chawla (2005)	No subtitle: Indian astronaut (Wiki)
737. Jamsetji Tata (2005)	"The Man Who Saw Tomorrow" (Wiki)

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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Amar Chitra Katha (Sanskrit: "Immortal Pictorial Classics"; "Immortal Illustrated Tales", "Immortal Picture Stories")
This series was originally published by H. G. Marchandani for India Book House, 29 Wodehouse Road, Bombay 400 039. From 1969 to 1991 the company was very active in bringing out new issues, but after this they mostly reprinted earlier issues on better paper. As of 2008 perhaps this will change. According to the Amar Chitra Katha Wikipedia entry (viewed December 2008),

"In 2007, the imprint and all its titles were acquired by a new venture called ACK Media. On September 17, 2008, a new website by ACK-media was launched called www.amarchitrakatha.com."

Information on the ACK Media website and elsewhere suggests that as of 2008 the company was planning on issuing new titles. These will include, for the first time, living people.

For further information on Amar Chitra Katha see:

• Karline McLain, India's Immortal Comic Books: Gods, Kings, and Other Heroes, 2009
• Pramod K. Nayar, Reading Culture; Theory, Praxis, Politics, 2006
• Frances Pritchett, The World of Amar Chitra Katha: Chapter 4 of Lawrence A. Babb, Media and the Transformation of Religion in South Asia, 1995
• Amar Chitra Katha celebrates new Dr and old Uncle
• History and Mythology

Some of the above are online books: search within them for "Amar Chitra Katha".
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2. First in the series: Krishna
This cover is from my own copy, a Sep 1983 reprint of Issue 11. Although originally published in 1969 the story was apparently revised around 1980. See McLain, p.29.
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3. Amar Chitra Katha versions of history
ACK comic books became so popular that their versions are widely considered accurate and canonical. However, for many of the most popular ancient tales there are numerous regional versions. And many modern critics have pointed out what they see as certain biases in the re-tellings. See, e.g., McLain, p. 81ff.
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4. The First 10 issues of Amar Chitra Katha

10 Fairy Tales

The ACK announcement at right (thanks to Prabhat Kumar Singh, who has further ACK materials on a blog called History and Mythology [formerly ACKnowledge], but for this credited Ajay Misra) advertises translations of 10 Western tales into 8 Indian languages. They are not numbered or dated, and English is not mentioned, but there are later ads for English versions called "Golden Fairy Tales". They were originally published between 1967 and 1969 and thus, although apparently unnumbered and at the time available only in Hindi, might be considered as original series volumes 1 to 10. As listed at right they are as follows:

5. Language and nature of Amar Chitra Katha comic
These comics were all originally written in English and this has always been the primary language, but some (I do not know how many) of them were also published in major Indian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. As told here all these stories are basically children's versions. As can be seen from the links here, Wikipedia now provides a lot of information on most of these subjects. Hopefully this information will continue to expand and improve, making it easier to learn the wide, deep and varied manifestations of all these stories as told over time and in different Indian communities.
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6. Publication dates of the original series
Some new series reissues state that, "Since they were introduced in 1967, there are now over 400 Amar Chitra Katha titles to chose from" (see details). More specific information can be found in the online list by Prabhat Singh, which includes the year of publication for a number of issues. The information on early issues in the following list is mostly taken from a file Prabhat personally sent me. (See above regarding the Fairy Tales published during 1967-69.)

7. End of the old series
In 1991 ACK sales were dwindling and the old series ended that year with #436, Jawaharlal Nehru. The same year ACK began their new series by republishing old issues on better quality paper. The first original titles in the new series do not appear until almost 10 years later, and as yet none of the new issues has retold a story from India's past. All this leaves open the question as to why sales were dwindling. The most popular issues apparently concerned Indian heroes and heroines from India's past but, after #412 Roopmati, only one issue in the original series brought up a new person from pre-modern India, #424, which apparently concerns Mohini. Certainly there are other such personages available; in some cases perhaps finding reliable enough information about them to allow their tales to be told appropriately is too costly, in other cases the editors have apparently not considered those subjects appropriate. The company itself has suggested that the main reason for the drop in sales was competition from other popular media, television in particular.
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8. Special editions
See listing above.
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9. My own copies are dated 1981 and later, thus my lower numbered ones are original series reprints.
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10. Bumper Issues (see announcement)
My collection does not now include any of these bumper issues; I once had a few, but gave them away when I had the individual issues of which they were comprised. Announcements listing 35 bumper issues, such as the attached, were common in reprints from mid 1980s; ones from the early 1980s have fewer. The new series also groups individual issues. Some seem to be reprints of the earlier bumper issues; others are "Special Collections" that apparently are not bound together.
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11. Deluxe Bound Volumes
This quote comes from my March 1981 re-print of No. 208. Note that "11 to 210" is actually 200 issues, and there is no explanation of how they made 21 volumes of 10 issues each from this. The advertisement shows the cover of Volume 14; this volume presumably included numbers 141-150, as at the bottom of the cover there are pictures of the covers of issues 148, 147, 149, 146 and 145 (left to right).
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12. Amar Chitra Katha New Series
The new series begun by IBH in the early 1990s consists mostly of reissues on better paper, re-numbered beginning with #501 (Rama). However, between 1997 (#679) and 2005 (#737) they also added five new titles (listed above). The last issue before its 2007 acquisition by ACK Media was #744 (Chokha Mela). This made 244 new series individual issues in all (see the Wikipedia title list as well as my comment below on Issues in ACK numbering). Since then its seems that more have been re-issued, but apparently there is a limit on this due to the destruction in a 1994 fire of the artwork and negatives for many of the other original series issues (McLain, p.47).

My new series collection
These are of three types, listed in three places: newly written (I have four of these five new series "additions"); issues for which I do not have the original from the old series (I have eight of these nine possible "availables"); and those which duplicate issues I already have in the old series ("extras").
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13. Ram Charit Manas
The new special issue Ram Charit Manas covers the same information as in other ACK tales from the Ramayana. I have not yet compared them to see how this version differs. Other new series additions all concern modern figures, so if in fact Ram Charit Manas has new images and dialogue it stands out as the first ACK issue on an ancient theme since #434.
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14. Future releases: 2009 update
One announcement for future releases was in a Business Standard press release dated March 6, 2009; it mentioned such names as N R Narayana Murthy, Sachin Tendulkar, and APJ Abdul Kalam.
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15. Updating the list of available ACK issues after the end of 2008
As mentioned above, as of the beginning of 2009 ACK issues were of two types: old series (#11 to #436) and new series (#501 to #744). Although the latter should amount to 244 titles, it seems that only 242 were then in print: the two dropped were a new series reprint, #602, the Quick-Witted Birbal (q.v.); and a new series new title, #679, Swami Pranavananda (q.v.). By mid-year the New series listing included seven new listings, bringing this number to 249

In November 2009 the number seems to have gone down from 249 to 248 (latest listing may have changed again). To this should be added the old issues still available through the ACK special issues: the 42 comprising the Mahabharata series, the 9 from Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar, plus one or two others.
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16. Issues in ACK numbering
Although since the beginning of 2009 ACK has continued to republish earlier issues, the lack of numbering on the ACK website makes it laborious to document this. Thus, although on the new ACK Media website one can find an unnumbered alphabetical listing of available titles, these recently have been somewhat contradictory. For example, in December 2008 this page included the following statement:

There are total 439 titles of ACK, of which 242 are in print. This collection includes 242 ACK titles and 6 special issues as mentioned below.

May 2009 this had been changed to:

There are total 439 titles of ACK, of which 255 are in print. This collection includes 248 ACK titles and 7 special issues as mentioned below.

The latter referenced list actually includes 250 ACK titles.

As for the consistent figure of 439 titles, it is not at all clear where this comes from. The possible components would seem to be:

As yet I have not been able make any combination of these numbers add up to 439, the closest being 438 if the Western fairy tales are not counted.

As for the other numbers in the above calculations, I have not yet worked out the figure "248". "242 in print" was discussed in the previous footnote. It would seem that this should mean that six more of the original 426 have since been reissued, but the lists do not give them numbers and, as mentioned, there are actually 250 titles on the May list.

Adding to the confusion, many online lists include six titles in the ACK March to Freedom series, but in fact none of the latter three of these was ever published. The following footnote has an outline of this matter.
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17. March to Freedom Series
The back cover of my issue #357 (May 15, 1986) as well as reprints of issues #235 (April 1986) and #264 (March 1986) all announced, "Amar Chitra Katha Presents the Epic of New India: The March to Freedom in 6 Volumes". They listed them as in the right column below, but added that all but the first were still "Under Preparation" (note publication dates).

The latter three issues are all included on many online lists, but in fact before publication some controversies about details arose and in the end they were never published, at least as such. According to Karline McClain (personal correspondence), "the planned issues on the Call for Swaraj and the Salt Satyagraha took a long time to prepare, and were eventually printed in 1989 in the form of two comics about Gandhi: #414: Mahatma Gandhi I: The Early Days, and #416: Mahatma Gandhi II: Father of the Nation. There was indeed some controversy over issues regarding Gandhi's role in the freedom struggle, which I discuss in chapter 6 of my book." Perhaps because #2 and #3 were Issues 356 and 360 respectively, some people made the erroneous assumption that 4, 5 and 6 were published as 364, 368 and 372.
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18. Other Amar Chitra Katha title lists
Wikipedia has a title list that has title numbers from both the original series (#11-436) and new series (#501-744; called "deluxe editions"). However, as of 2008 it was incomplete, with some errors and perhaps jokes (e.g., someone has slipped in the name "Harsh Verma"). Other lists seem to follow Wikipedia. ACK's own website includes many of these titles, but it does not as yet seem to mention issue numbers, either for original or new series.
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Appendices

Appendix I
New series issues (composite made from ACK website Mays 2009: domestic and international)

These two lists each have 249 entries. The first gives the new series numbers, in order. This shows clearly that as of May 2009 two had been dropped from the original 244, while seven others have been added, making 249. This is followed by an arrangement of new series titles in the order of the original series numbers.

Old series numbers of new series issues (compare new series numbers)
Note that some original series issues not listed on these two lists are included in special editions such as Mahabharata and Bhagawat Purana. This can perhaps be more easily seen when those numbers are compared with those of this second list, arranged according to the original series numbers.

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Appendix II
Issues missing from my Amar Chitra Katha collection

Issues in my personal collection were mainly acquired at shops around Connaught Place, New Delhi, through which I generally passed during my frequent visits to India from Hong Kong during the 1980s. Most of the missing issues are at the end of the original series, published in 1990 and 1991, during which time I did not travel there. By the time I went back to New Delhi in 1995 I could find only new series reprints of issues I already had; fortunately a new friend, Ajay Misra, has very kindly given me several of these missing issues.

As a result, of the apparently 426 individual issues in the original series I am missing only 15. Of these 9 have been reissued in the new series, 6 have not.

Nine missing original series ACK titles available in the new series

84. Bappa Rawal.	(I have the reissue, new series 705)
421. Krishna, Lord of Dwaraka	(I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar)
423. Krishna, The Enchanter	(I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar)
426. Jataka Tales, True Friends	(I have the reissue, new series 614)
427. Krishna, Ally of the Pandavas	(I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar)
429. Krishna the Saviour	(I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar)
431. Jataka Tales, Stories of Courage	(I have the reissue, new series 615)
433. The Quick Witted Birbal	(Reissued as new series 602, but then apparently dropped)
436. Jawaharlal Nehru	(I have the reissue, new series 700)

Six missing original series ACK titles not reissued in the new series

407. Kohinoor	(not reissued in the new series)
424. The Clever Dancer	(not reissued in the new series)
428. Napoleon Bonaparte	(not reissued in the new series)
430. An Exciting Find	(not reissued in the new series)
434. The Chosen Bridegroom	(not reissued in the new series)
435. Pierre and Marie Curie	(not reissued in the new series)

One missing original series special edition not available in single issues

S#2. Valmiki's Ramayana

(I have the new series #10001 reissue)

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Appendix III
Extras in my Amar Chitra Katha collection (compare "Missing")

I have put the above lists of titles online in hopes that they will help me find the issues still missing from my collection. Advice on this is appreciated, and the following final list has extra issues in my collection that may be available for trade. These are divided into Original Series and New Series extras.

Original Series Extra Issues

#  20.	Mahabharata
#127.	The Gita
#134.	Babur
#154.	Chandragupta Maurya
#221	Jahangir
#255	Mystery of the Missing Gifts
#418	The French Revolution
Special edition #1.	Dasha Avatar
Special edition #3.	Jesus Christ

New Series Extra Issues

501. Krishna	= #11
503. The Sons of Rama	= #18
504. Rama	= #15
505. The Gita	= #127
506. Shiva Parvati	= #29
507. Nala Damyanti	= #16
512. Tales of Vishnu	= #160
519. Elephanta	= #149
524. Indra and Shibi	= #180
706. Sakshi Gopal	= #92

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