The Battle of the Books

The Battle of the Books is the name of a short satire written by Jonathan Swift and published as part of the prolegomena to his A Tale of a Tub in 1704. It depicts a literal battle between books in the King's Library (housed in St. James's Palace at the time of the writing), as ideas and authors struggle for supremacy. Because of the satire, "The Battle of the Books" has become a term for the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns.

— Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Bookseller to the Reader
The Preface of the Author
The Battle of the Books
A Meditation Upon a Broomstick
Predictions for the Year 1708
The Accomplishment of the First of Mr. Bickerstaff's Predictions
Baucis and Philemon
The Logicians Refuted
The Puppet Show
Cadenus and Vanessa
Stella's Birthday, 1718
Stella's Birthday, 1720
Stella's Birthday
Stella's Birthday, 1724
Stella's Birthday, March 13, 1726
To Stella
The First He Wrote
The Second Prayer
The Beasts' Confession
An Argument Against Abolishing of Christianity
Hints Towards an Essay on Conversation
Thoughts on Various Subjects