The Battle of the Books and other Short Pieces

Jonathan Swift

"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 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 Ancidents and Moderns. It is one of his earliest well-known works.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• The Bookseller To The Reader
• The Preface Of The Author
• A Full And True Account Of The Battle Fought Last Friday Between The Ancient And The Modern Books In Saint James’s Library
• The Episode Of Bentley And Wotton
• A Meditation Upon A Broomstick
• Predictions For The Year 1708
• The Accomplishment Of The First Of Mr. Bickerstaff’s Predictions; Being An Account Of The Death Of Mr. Partridge The Almanack-Maker, Upon The 29th Instant
• 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 Oct. 17, 1727
• The Second Prayer Was Written Nov. 6, 1727
• The Beasts’ Confession (1732)
• An Argument To Prove That The Abolishing Of Christianity In England May, As Things Now Stand, Be Attended With Some Inconveniences, And Perhaps Not Produce Those Many Good Effects Proposed Thereby
• Hints Towards An Essay On Conversation
• Thoughts On Various Subjects