Sheds by Howard Mansfield

“A shed is the shortest line between need and shelter,” writes Howard Mansfield. Drawing on material from his recent book Dwelling in Possibility, Mansfield explores the different types of sheds found around New England and beyond: covered bridges, barns, worksheds, “worship sheds” (meeting houses), extended farmhouses, bob houses for ice fishing. In lyrical style and supported by photographs by Joanna Eldredge Morrissey, Mansfield shows the connection between the design of these structures and their roles in our lives.

“Sheds are like our lives—not the grandest building or the most graceful. Sheds are ordinary—and in that they are exalted.” Anyone who has ever traveled the back roads of America will enjoy this beautifully photographed exploration of simple, useful structures.  

Howard Mansfield is the author of nine books about preservation, architecture, and history, most recently The Habit of Turning the World Upside Down (Bauhan 2018). He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, Historic Preservation, and Yankee. He and his wife, writer Sy Montgomery, live in a 130-year-old house in Hancock, New Hampshire.