He has written numerous books about architecture, art, and American presidents, but describes himself as a narrative historian: he seeks to use stories to capture the sweep of history, with facts, personalities, and places adding texture to events.
His most recent book, Architects of an American Landscape, published by Atlantic Monthly Press in 2022, examines the creative friendship of Frederick Law Olmsted, the co-designer of Central Park and founder of the discipline of landscape architecture, and Henry Hobson Richardson, the most admired American architect of the nineteenth century.
Previous books include Architecture's Odd Couple (Bloomsbury, 2015), also a dual biography, which looked at the careers of Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson, architects who bracketed the twentieth century and who had a complicated relationship as "frienemies."
Aside from writing books, Howard has written for dozens of publications including Smithsonian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, House Beautiful, Preservation, Early American Life, Traditional Homes, and others.
He was the researcher, writer, and scout for a series of television specials produced by the A&E Network In Search of Palladio.