<p>Nathaniel Hawthorne&rsquo;s <i>The Marble Faun</i> mingles fable with fact in a mysterious tale of American artists liberated from New England mores in Rome. In his introduction, Andrew Delbanco remarks that Hawthorne&rsquo;s novel is ultimately less about freedom than its costs. It is a book &ldquo;that invites us to observe people in the grip of guilt, passion, or a na&iuml;ve faith in God or art, and to watch them seek escape from their fears and doubts as their creed&mdash;whatever it is&mdash;fails them.&rdquo; The John Harvard Library edition reproduces the authoritative text of <i>The Marble Faun</i> in The Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne.</p><p></p><p>Since 1959 The John Harvard Library has been instrumental in publishing essential American writings in authoritative editions.</p>