Dwelling in Possibility cover art

Dwelling in Possibility

Searching for the Soul of Shelter

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Dwelling in Possibility

By: Howard Mansfield
Narrated by: Howard Mansfield
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

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
Architecture Home Design & Renovation

Critic Reviews

"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)

What listeners say about Dwelling in Possibility

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.