The City of Beautiful Nonsense (1909) is a novel by Ernest Temple Thurston. After a decade of working odd jobs while pursuing his literary interests, Temple Thurston finally broke through to a popular audience with this novel of romance and wonder. Adapted twice for the cinema and followed by a sequel entitled The World of Wonderful Reality (1919), The City of Beautiful Nonsense is a stunning portrait of Edwardian London and turn of the century Venice, two of the world’s most fabled cities. "It was half-past seven in the evening. At half-past seven it is dark, the lamps are lighted, the houses huddle together in groups. They have secrets to tell as soon as it is dark. Ah! If you knew the secrets that houses are telling when the shadows draw them so close together! But you never will know. They close their eyes and they whisper." In flowing, meditative prose, Temple Thurston weaves a tale of love at first sight exploring themes of religion, tradition, and modernity. After their first meeting in a silent, candlelit church, John and Jill begin running into one another by chance on the streets of London. As they strike up a relationship, they share their innermost feelings and dreams for the future, learning about themselves as much as they do of one another. Drawn to the city of Venice, John wants nothing more than to bring Jill there, to grow their love in a city seemingly built for lovers. Heartfelt and dreamlike, The City of Beautiful Nonsense is the type of novel that stays with you long after you’ve read its last words. This edition Ernest Temple Thurston’s The City of Beautiful Nonsense is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.
Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.
With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.