Originally published: New York: George H. Doran Co., 1925.

The author of The Velveteen Rabbit returns to the secret life of toys with the rollicking tale of a wooden dog who sets out to explore the world. Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.

Poor Cecco is a children’s story written by Margery Williams Bianco; a celebrated British-American author, best known for penning The Velveteen Rabbit. Bianco (1881 – 1944), started writing children’s books in the 1920s, and published Poor Cecco – a distinguished book rivalling the Velveteen Rabbit in ‘classic status’ – in 1925. It has the amusingly lengthy subtitle: The Wonderful Story of a Wonderful Wooden Dog Who Was the Jolliest Toy in the House Until He Went Out to Explore the World, which rather aptly describes the contents! The book further contains a series of dazzling colour and black-and-white illustrations – by a master of the craft; Arthur Rackham (1867-1939). One of the most celebrated painters of the British Golden Age of Illustration (which encompassed the years from 1850 until the start of the First World War), Rackham’s artistry is quite simply, unparalleled. Throughout his career, he developed a unique style, combining haunting humour with dream-like romance. Presented alongside the text, his illustrations further refine and elucidate Margery Bianco’s captivating narrative.

A stunning treasury of 86 full-page plates span the famed English artist's career, from Rip Van Winkle (1905) to masterworks such as Undine, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Wind in the Willows (1939).