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The Toys of Peace

Saki

First published 1919
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Eleanor, inspired by a newspaper article by an anti-war group, insists that her boys be given peaceful toys. But their ingenuity immediately finds ways to use the toys in war games.

The newspaper article that this story satirizes actually was published in 1914. "The Toys of Peace" appeared in a newspaper not long after (details unknown), and was first collected in 1919. Marginally science-fictional in its depiction of a project to change society.

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
1919 The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers John Lane, The Bodley Head Collection 3
March 1966 Cover Incredible Tales Dell Collection 43
April 1971 Cover Eco-Fiction Washington Square Press Anthology 153
August 1971 Incredible Tales Dell Laurel-Leaf Collection 43
1976 Cover The Complete Works of Saki Doubleday Omnibus 393
1978 Cover Composition & Literary Form: An Anthology: Second Edition Winthrop Publishers Anthology 432
1982 The Complete Saki Penguin Books Omnibus 393
1993 Cover The Complete Stories of Saki Wordsworth Editions Omnibus 281
May 1998 Cover The Complete Saki Penguin Books Omnibus 393
October 1998 The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers Project Gutenberg Collection
1999 Cover The Oxford Book of English Short Stories Oxford University Press Anthology 155
October 2000 Cover Saki: The Complete Short Stories Penguin Books Collection 393
November 2008 The Drabblecast, #88 The Drabblecast MAGAZINE