​     The term 'Battle of the Books' first appeared in a satire written by Jonathan Swift at the end of the seventeenth century in France. Swift wrote in response to an ongoing argument over the question of whether contemporary learning, supported by 'the moderns', had surpassed that of learning during the Classical Age in Greece and Rome, a position supported by 'the ancients'.
     Swift's short satire entitled "The Battle of the Books" (1705) centered around an epic battle fought in a library when various books come alive and attempt to settle the arguments between moderns and ancients. In Swift's satire, he avoids saying which argument is correct. He portrays the manuscript as having been damaged in places, thus leaving the end of the battle up to the reader.
     In recent times, Battle of the Books began in the 1940's as a Chicago radio program sponsored by the Chicago Public Library. Today it is a reading incentive program found in elementary, middle and high schools across the country.
     This is the second time that BOTB has been held at ESU #11. We hope that it will create a greater interest in books as well as bring groups together to meet new students and work as a team. At the end of the project, we hope that there will be a lot of sharing of ideas on how to make the project better. We hope the BOTB will be around for many years to come.