Related to my question on construing "how to" and "what to," there's this: if "how" is always an adverb, how can it function as the first word in a phrase governed by a preposition? 

I think this is what first got me started on the whole issue. The construction that begins "of how" is not uncommon —


      The inside story of how the war on terror turned into a war on American ideals

      In search of how people change

      The science of how names shape us

      The science of how applause spreads in an audience

      The secrets of how to retire happy

      The art of how to train your dragon

      The basics of how to read a film


What follows a preposition functions as the object of that preposition. Is the "how" functioning as an adverb within this noun phrase object? Or is it contributing more directly to the character of this phrase as nominal?

Somehow, I'm not seeing a clear path through this one. I am instead wandering the alleyways of uncertainty and muddled thinking.



Odile
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