During California's post-World War boom Sunset Magazine was a user's manual for the good life. The setting for this new life was the ranch house, and Sunset published some of the most interesting developments in this genre, the works of Cliff May. In 1946, Sunset published the first edition of Sunset Western Ranch Houses, and the book became a best-seller. This first edition has been unavailable for many years. It is a fascinating study of the roots of the ranch style, and it is also a compendium of ideas for today's home builders. The book is illustrated with evocative and useful drawings, two-color plans and photographs.