Dwelling in Possibility

Searching for the Soul of Shelter

De: Howard Mansfield

Narrado por: Howard Mansfield

The mystery that attracts Howard Mansfield's attention is that some houses have lives—are home, are dwellings—and others don't. Dwelling, he says, is an old-fashioned word that we've misplaced. When we live with heart and soul, we dwell. When we belong to a place, we dwell.

Possession, they say, is nine-tenths of the law, but it is also what too many houses and towns lack. We are not possessed by our home places. This lost quality of dwelling—the soul of buildings—haunts most of our houses and our landscape. Dwelling in Possibility is a search for the ordinary qualities that make some houses a home, and some public places welcoming.

©2013 Howard Mansfield (P)2023 Howard Mansfield

Reseñas de la Crítica

"I was only halfway through this book when I began to quote from it. It is strong stuff and goes deep. It should be on every thoughtful citizen’s 'must read' list." (Karen Dahood, BookPleasures.com)

"A wholly original meditation...that’s part observation of the contemporary built environment, part cultural history, part philosophical account, and at times something like a Whitmanian poetic survey." (Carlo Rotella, The Boston Globe)

"Whenever I read Mansfield’s work I come away feeling not only informed, but expanded. His books don’t just sit on the surface of my mind, but enter it, giving me pause, inspiring me to think in new ways.... Dwelling in Possibility is a shelter for the intellect, inviting, warm and true." (Deb Baker, The Concord Monitor)