 Cover, circa 1704. | |
| Author | Jonathan Swift |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | A Tale of a Tub |
| Genre | Satire |
Publication date | 1704 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Text | The Battle of the Books at Wikisource |
"The Battle of the Books" is 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. It is one of Swift's earliest well-known works.