Introduction Jonathan Swift’s The Battle of the Books emerges from a pivotal moment in intellectual history when the rising tide of modern philosophy and science was challenging the value of classical learning. Swift, an astute satirist and supporter of the traditionalist Sir William Temple, offers his take on this contentious debate through an imaginative scene set in the library of St. James’s Palace. Here, books physically duel, embodying rival schools of thought — the revered ancients, such as Homer...