With its archetypal open plan and reverence of indoor-outdoor living, the Ranch house is at the very heart of the California dream. When we picture California Ranch houses—the low-slung, informal dwellings that engulfed suburbs after World War II—we are thinking of just one part of a phenomenon that has its roots in early-nineteenth-century ranchos, and which continues today in houses that are startling and up-to-the-minute. Examples of the type have been called ranchos, ranchers, and California ramblers. They have been styled Spanish, Japanese, and French; Monterey and International; Vernacular, Minimalist, and Modernist. From the 1797 Rancho Los Alamitos of Long Beach to such contemporary homes as the Miller Residence of Corte Madera, Ranch Houses unveils the great variety and the very finest examples of this multifaceted form. Including the work of such architectural luminaries as Cliff May, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Charles Moore, Ranch Houses is an essential resource for architects, home owners, and all those who aspire to the indoor/outdoor lifestyle that is the California Dream.

The classic second edition of Sunset Western Ranch Houses (1958) is restored to print. The innovative reinterpretation of the Spanish ranch house that is the core of May's work still resonates in the California landscape.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition held Feb. 26-June 17, 2012 at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara, as part of "Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, an precedented collaboration of more than sixty cultural institutions across Southern California, coming together to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene."

A monograph of the informal style of the modern ranch house as reflected in the works of a forefront designer discusses his blending of California's Spanish-Mexican ranchos with cutting-edge technological features. 12,500 first printing.

May relates his family history, recalls his early life in San Diego, and discusses the history of his architectural creation, the California ranch house.

May relates his family history, recalls his early life in San Diego, and discusses the history of his architectural creation, the California ranch house.