Project Gutenberg 1998-10-01 Public domain in the USA. 569 Saki 1870 1916 Munro, Hector Hugh Munro, H. H. (Hector Hugh) The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers The toys of peace -- Louise -- Tea -- The disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh -- The wolves of Cernogratz -- Louis -- The guests -- The penance -- The phantom luncheon -- A bread and butter miss -- Bertie's Christmas Eve -- Forewarned -- The interlopers -- Quail seed -- Canossa -- The threat -- Excepting Mrs. Pentherby -- Mark -- The hedgehog -- The Mappined life -- Fate -- The bull -- Morlvera -- Shock tactics -- The seven cream jugs -- The occasional garden -- The sheep -- The oversight -- Hyacinth -- The image of the lost soul -- The purple of the Balkan kings -- The cupboard of the yesterdays -- For the duration of the war. Transcribed from the 1919 John Lane edition by Jane Duff and David Price "The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers" by Saki is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century, showcasing the author’s characteristic wit and satirical commentary on society. The collection opens with a focus on the influence of toys and upbringing on children, highlighting a particular character, Harvey Bope, who attempts to replace traditional war-themed toys with "peace toys" intended to educate and promote civil engagement among his nephews. At the start of the narrative, Harvey Bope engages in a conversation with his sister Eleanor about the detrimental impact of violent toys on children’s behavior. They discuss an initiative by the National Peace Council which encourages parents to buy peaceful alternatives. When Harvey arrives to bring gifts for his nephews, the children's anticipation is comically met with underwhelming, mundane toys like models of municipal buildings and figures of historical civilians, which fail to capture their interest. Instead of adopting the peaceful play suggested by Harvey, the boys creatively reinterpret their new toys, transforming them into participants in chaotic historical reenactments, ultimately demonstrating that deep-rooted instincts for conflict can hardly be quelled by the absence of guns and battles. This opening sets up Saki's exploration of societal values, childhood innocence, and the often humorous disconnect between intention and outcome. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 66.7 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Short stories PR Text Contemporary Reviews Category: Short Stories Category: Humour Category: British Literature 409116 2025-07-01T09:39:04.472557 text/html 418237 2014-11-11T09:52:02 text/html 154545 2020-12-31T13:35:02 text/html application/zip 232829 2025-07-01T09:39:11.988546 application/epub+zip 237077 2025-07-01T09:39:07.366586 application/epub+zip 220874 2025-07-01T09:39:06.170569 application/epub+zip 446017 2025-07-01T09:39:15.722502 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 410080 2025-07-01T09:39:11.223529 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 381976 2022-09-01T11:08:27.559247 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 386964 2025-07-01T09:39:03.703576 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 386711 2014-11-11T09:49:58 text/plain; charset=utf-8 150318 2020-12-31T13:35:02 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 356280 2020-12-31T13:35:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 140668 2020-12-31T13:35:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 21283 2025-07-01T09:39:15.847509 application/rdf+xml 15720 2025-07-01T09:39:06.667599 image/jpeg 3861 2025-07-01T09:39:06.416564 image/jpeg 226887 2025-07-01T09:39:04.504639 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia