The War of the Books is a short, mock-heroic story of a battle among the books at St. James's Palace's King's Library. The war is a satirical metaphor of an intellectual argument that has raged in England since 1692, known as the Battle of the Ancients and the Moderns. It was fought between two opposing groups of writers: those who supported the Greek and Roman authors whose work had been collected by King Charles II and his brother King James II after they were overthrown in 1649 during the English Civil War, and those who favored writing only about modern subjects. The story tells how this argument came to be, with each side marshaling their forces for a final showdown. The Ancient Writers win the day, but not without great cost: both sides are greatly weakened by the conflict. The story was written by John Dryden, who is considered one of the best poets of the 17th century. He first published it in 1693 in his collection Of Dramatic Poetry, Vol. I. It has been suggested that Dryden wrote it as a parody of several other poems that he deemed unworthy of attention. However, others believe that Dryden actually supports the cause of the Ancient Writers in this story. Either way, it is regarded as one of the best examples of its kind. John Milton also writes about this subject in his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667).