The Adventures of Pinocchio
by C. Collodi (the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) was first published in book form in 1883 in Florence, Italy, after its successful serialization in the weekly
Giornale per i Bambini
from July 1881 to January 1883. The story of an enchanted marionette who yearns to be a real boy,
Pinocchio
was an immediate sensation and has never gone out of print, having been translated into hundreds of languages and adapted to the stage and screen countless times. In 1911 the Italian artist Attilio Mussino drew more than 280 beautiful, striking, and iconic illustrations for the first color edition of
, which are included in this new
Top Five Classics
edition of Collodi's immortal work. The text, translated by Carol Della Chiesa for the 1925 American edition, is not the Disney version, but a universal moral parable for children that reflects its Italian heritage and satiric sense of humor, as well as the darkness and magic that are an integral part of all classic fairy tales.