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Cover of The Battle of the Books, and other Short Pieces

Essays

The Battle of the Books, and other Short Pieces

by Jonathan Swift

Read The Battle of the Books, and other Short Pieces by Jonathan Swift in English, with complete text and saved reading progress.

4 hr estimatedB2–C1 Linden levelRead now availability24 chapters
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Overview

About this book

The Battle of the Books, and other Short Pieces is available in the Project Gutenberg source edition credited to Jonathan Swift. Catalog subjects include English essays; Satire, English; Ancients and moderns, Quarrel of. This edition retains the source text, including any introductory material and notes.

First published
Unknown year
Language
English
Editor
Henry Morley
Copyright status
Public domain

English level

B2–C1 · Deep reading

The Battle of the Books, and other Short Pieces is calibrated from 39,409 sampled words across 24 chapters: sentences average 33.4 words, 58.1% exceed 24 words and 6.2% of words are nine letters or longer.

Explore the B2–C1 level →

Sentence rhythm

What the prose asks

Extended sentences averaging 33.4 words, with 29.6% reaching 40 words or more

Vocabulary

What may slow you down

6.2% of sampled words contain nine or more letters and about 4.44 marked archaic terms per thousand words; names and period vocabulary still vary by chapter

Reading rhythm

Short commitment

Regular chapter-sized stopping points support a steady plan. About 8 calm 30-minute sessions.

Suggested approach

Read with momentum

Read in planned sessions and keep short notes on voice, structure and recurring images

Best starting point

Begin with chapter one

The full text is ready with speech, lookup and saved progress.

CEFR-aligned Linden estimate · high confidence · sampled full text · Calibrated 2026-09-08 · Provisional, not an exam certification.

Table of contents

24 chapters

  1. 01INTRODUCTION.6 min
  2. 02THE BOOKSELLER TO THE READER.2 min
  3. 03THE PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.2 min
  4. 04A FULL AND TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE FOUGHT LAST FRIDAY BETWEEN THE ANCIENT AND THE MODERN BOOKS IN SAINT JAMES’S LIBRARY.34 min
  5. 05THE EPISODE OF BENTLEY AND WOTTON.9 min
  6. 06A MEDITATION UPON A BROOMSTICK.2 min
  7. 07PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR 1708.16 min
  8. 08THE 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.5 min
  9. 09BAUCIS AND PHILEMON.5 min
  10. 10THE LOGICIANS REFUTED.2 min
  11. 11THE PUPPET SHOW.2 min
  12. 12CADENUS AND VANESSA.25 min
  13. 13STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, 1718.2 min
  14. 14STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, 1720.2 min
  15. 15STELLA’S BIRTHDAY.2 min
  16. 16STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, 1724.2 min
  17. 17STELLA’S BIRTHDAY, MARCH 13, 1726.2 min
  18. 18TO STELLA,4 min
  19. 19THE FIRST HE WROTE OCT. 17, 1727.2 min
  20. 20THE SECOND PRAYER WAS WRITTEN NOV. 6, 1727.2 min
  21. 21THE BEASTS’ CONFESSION (1732).6 min
  22. 22AN 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.23 min
  23. 23HINTS TOWARDS AN ESSAY ON CONVERSATION.13 min
  24. 24THOUGHTS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS.15 min
Portrait of Jonathan Swift

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Jonathan Swift

An Anglo-Irish satirist whose controlled irony exposes political indifference by carrying apparently reasonable arguments to horrifying conclusions.

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