Ranch Revival: Ranch House Resources - Ideas & Discussion: Books About the Ranch Style

Ranch House Resources:

American Collection Ranch Style: 200 New House Plans by Hanley Wood Homeplanners (Softcover). Published by Home Planners (2007).From the cover: "Open Layouts, Single-Level Living, Affordable Design." The ranch style has evolved to meet today's demands for function and comfort as well as modern tastes. Browse the interiors of these contemporary ranch style homes that reflect, variously, influences from Southwestern, Colonial, and Country architecture, and then browse plans that let you customize according to your tastes and needs.

Atomic Ranch (Hardcover) by Michelle Gringeri-Brown, Jim Brown (Photographer). Published by Gibbs Smith (August 2006). From the inside cover: "Atomic Ranch illustrates in stunning color photography the virtues of the ranch house, often decried as 'cookie cutter,'and shows why these homes worked so well for their first residents and still function beautifully today. With private front facades, open floor plans, secluded bedroom wings, and walls of glass that bring the outside in, midcentury ranches mix function, comfort, and style with ease.... From updated homes with high-end Italian kitchens, terrazzo floors, and modern furniture to affordablehomeowner renovations with eclectic thrift-store furnishings, Atomic Ranch presents plenty of inspiring examples of stylish living in America's favorite house."

Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream (Hardcover) by Paul Adamson. Published by Gibbs Smith (November 2002). Content rich and visually appealing, this book is a must-have for any lover of Joseph Eichler's work or fan of Mid-Twentieth Century Modern architecture.

Ranches: Design Ideas for Renovating, Remodeling, and Building New (Hardcover) by M. Caren Connolly. Published by Taunton (October 2003). The paperback version, with a different cover, was released by Taunton in March 2006 and includes two author credits: M. Caren Connolly and Louis Wasserman. Amazon.com calls this "a unique combination of outstanding designs and proven ideas for renovating, remodeling, and building a ranch-style home. Featuring over 20 examples of updated homes and new ranches, the book is illustrated with inspiring original color photography and before and after floor plans."

Ranch House Style (Hardcover) by Katherine Samon. Published by Clarkson Potter (February 2003). From the inside flap, "...the things we loved about ranches when we liked Ike are still attractive, perhaps more so, today: the liberation that comes with open-plan living, the casual feel of easy kitchen access, the comfort of having bedrooms and children near at hand, the convenience of one-level living, and the everyday luxury of smooth indoor-outdoor flow. So it's no surprise that the ranch is in style again, and this book showcases the best of it.

The Ranch House (Hardcover) by Alan Hess, Noah Sheldon (Photographer). Published by Harry N. Abrams (January 2005). Alan Hess, architecture critic for the San Jose Mercury News, offers his take on the Ranch house with a visual tour of more than 30 iconic examples.

Western Ranch Houses by Cliff May (Paperback) by Cliff May and Paul C. Johnson. Published by Hennessey & Ingalls (January 1997). Republished now in paperback, this book was a bestseller when first published in 1958, indicating the enduring popularity of Mays' open and flexible style. The book (May's second), shows through photos and layouts how May continued to absorb elements of the Modernist style while still preserving his aesthetic roots in the more rustic Spanish Hacienda style.