Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody is the first, long-overdue book on this key Palm Springs architect, abundantly illustrated and detailed. Of the architects who made Palm Springs a crucible of midcentury American modernism, William F. Cody (1916-1978) was one of the most prolific, diverse, and iconic. Directing a practice ranging from residences to commercial centers and industrial complexes to master plans, Cody's designs are so recognizable that they provide visual shorthand for what is widely hailed as Desert Modern. While his architecture was disciplined and technically innovative, Cody did not practice an austere modernism; he imbued in his projects a love for social spaces, rich with patterns, texture, color, and art. Though the majority of Cody's built work was concentrated in California and Arizona, he had commissions in other western states, Hawaii, Mexico, Honduras, and Cuba. From icons like the Del Marcos Hotel (1946), to inventive country clubs like the Eldorado (1957), to houses for celebrities (Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney), Cody's projects defined the emerging West Coast lifestyle that combined luxury, leisure, and experimental design. Cody also pushed the boundaries of engineering, with beams and roof slabs so thin that his buildings seemed to defy gravity. Master of the Midcentury is the first monograph devoted to Cody, authored by the team that curated the acclaimed exhibition Fast Forward: The Architecture of William F. Cody at the Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles: his daughter, Cathy Cody, design historian Jo Lauria, and architectural historian Don Choi. Replete with photographs of extant and now-lost structures, as well as masterful color renderings and drawings for architectural commissions and plans for vanguard building systems, Master of the Midcentury is the authoritative resource on Cody.

For three decades, nationally renowned ceramist Anne Hirondelle has pushed the boundaries of traditional pottery, producing beautiful works that appear warmly alive and visually engaging. From her early majestic urns to her architectural impulse for sedate forms to her bright ropes of clay coiling to the sky, she keeps exploring new possibilities without rejecting the traditions of her chosen material.

Hirondelle's Port Townsend, Washington, studio is the nexus of her creative and imaginative life. The works she has produced in that space have been exhibited in numerous one-person shows throughout the United States. Among the many museums whose collections include her work are the Crocker Art Museum; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Tacoma Art Museum; and the White House Collection housed at the William J. Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.

"Anne Hirondelle's feet are firmly planted in clay." "-American Craft"

Jo Lauria is a curator and design historian. Her most recent publications are "Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects" and "California Design: The Legacy of West Coast Craft and Style." She lives in the Los Angeles area. Jake Seniuk is an artist and executive director of the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center and Webster Woods Art Park.