Sebastian Lee (1805-1887) has some idiomatic music for cello that’s ideal for beginners — the best I’ve found.  Maybe he was a cellist himself.  Really great stuff.

In the past I’ve used the Schroeder 170 Foundation Studies collection with students, which contains a lot of material by Lee.  I recently discovered that the solo etudes in the Schroeder are actually extracted from *duets*.  This is amazing because the cello duet is where Lee really shines.  So I’ve shelved the Schroeder in favor of the original Lee collection in which the duet versions appear.

Can’t find the Op. 176, 22 Very Easy Duets on Imslp.  This is a shame.

The 40 Easy Etudes and First Steps In Violoncello Playing are available for free on Imslp though.