Skip to content
Opens in a new window
Battle of the Books

Public domain audiobook

Battle of the Books

by Jonathan Swift

English· 05:08:47· 23 chapters
"The Battle of the Books" 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 his earliest well-known works. (Wikipedia)

LibriVox recordings are public domain in the United States; copyright status may differ elsewhere.

Chapters

  1. Chapter 1

    Introduction, the bookseller to the reader, & the preface of the author

    14:38
  2. Chapter 2

    A full and true account... Part 1

    31:02
  3. Chapter 3

    A full and true account... Part 2

    22:30
  4. Chapter 4

    The Episode of Bentley and Wotton

    15:51
  5. Chapter 5

    A Meditation Upon a Broomstick

    03:31
  6. Chapter 6

    Predictions for the Year 1708

    22:55
  7. Chapter 7

    The Accomplishment of the First of Mr. Bickerstaff’s Predictions…

    08:15
  8. Chapter 8

    Baucis and Philemon

    09:23
  9. Chapter 9

    The logicians refuted

    03:33
  10. Chapter 10

    The puppet show

    04:07
  11. Chapter 11

    Candenus and Vanessa

    41:38
  12. Chapter 12

    STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, 1718

    01:17
  13. Chapter 13

    STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, 1720.

    03:06
  14. Chapter 14

    STELLA’S BIRTHDAY

    04:33
  15. Chapter 15

    STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, 1724

    02:49
  16. Chapter 16

    STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, MARCH 13, 1726

    04:20
  17. Chapter 17

    TO STELLA

    06:46
  18. Chapter 18

    The first he wrote OCT. 17, 1727

    03:49
  19. Chapter 19

    The second prayer was written NOV. 6, 1727.

    04:03
  20. Chapter 20

    The Beasts' confession (1732)

    11:29
  21. Chapter 21

    An argument to prove that the abolishing...

    38:55
  22. Chapter 22

    Hints towards and essay on conversation

    26:04
  23. Chapter 23

    Thoughts on various subjects

    24:13