"The Toys of Peace" is a collection of thirty-three stories of his, including the title work, in which well meaning parents decide to give their sons toys that aren't war toys. The disappointed boys find ways of indulging bloodthirsty instincts. Saki delighted in satirizing convention, contrasting the conventions of Edwardian England with the life and death struggles of nature. Nature generally won in the end.

Hector Hugh Munro (Dec 18, 1870 - Nov 14, 1917) was a witty British author who published under the pen name SAKI or H.H. Munro. Given Munro's intellect, wit, and mischevious nature it's possible it was based on both simultaneously. As a writer, Munro (Saki) was a master of the short story form and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Munro had a penchant for mocking the popular customs and manners of Edwardian England. He often did so by depicting characters in a setting and manner that would contrast their behavior with that of the natural world; often demonstrating that the simple and straightforward rules of nature would always trump the vanities of men.