Writing about preservation, architecture and American history, Howard Mansfield has contributed to The New York Times, American Heritage, The Washington Post, Historic Preservation, Yankee and other publications. Mansfield has explored issues of preservation in five books, including In the Memory House.His research has taken him to around the world, from a 10,000 year old glacial lake to the streets of Las Vegas, from Civil War reenactors at Antietem to a school for auctioneers. In researching The Same Ax, Twice, he toured 18th century houses that have been variously restored to their "original" condition or stripped to their essence; he observed the ongoing work of preserving the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," a ship which has been replaced over the years board by board. Howard's essays and articles on history and architecture have also appeared in: Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsday, Orion, Chicago Tribune, International Herald Tribune and other publications.
The act of restoration, Mansfield concludes, whether it’s rebuilding antique engines or reviving the village model of community organization, must contain an element of renewal. Rejecting the sentimentality of nostalgia and the superficiality of commercial images, Mansfield argues for an understanding of restoration that is as much concerned with the future as it is with the past, that preserves and communicates a spirit as well as a form.