Julia Morgan, America's ?rst truly independent female architect, blazed a trail for women in the ?eld and left a legacy of more than 700 buildings (many of which are now designated landmarks) in cities throughout California, as well as in Hawaii, Utah, Arizona, and Missouri. Her work spanned ?ve decades, and her total output was greater than any other major American architect, including Frank Lloyd Wright. Julia Morgan tells the remarkable story of this architectural pioneer and features text, drawings, and photographs of the many buildings that still stand today. Mark Wilson explores the underlying design philosophy that guided a large portion of Julia Morgan's work, as well as the physical, cultural, and historic settings in which her buildings were created. From the William Randolph Hearst Castle at San Simeon to Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland to the Phoebe A. Hearst Memorial Gymnasium for Women in Berkeley, this comprehensive volume offers a fresh exploration on the life and work of a groundbreaking architect. Mark A. Wilson is an architectural historian who has been writing and teaching about Julia Morgan's work for more than thirty years.

He has written two previous books about Bay Area architecture and was a lecturer for the National Trust's Historic Real Estate Program. He holds a B.A. in History and an M.A. in History and Media. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, and more. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Ann, and daughter, Elena, who loves looking at Julia Morgan houses.

Monica Lee has been a professional photographer for over twenty-five years. Her photographs have been published in magazines and publications nationally and internationally. Monica lives in San Francisco with her husband, Jonathan Rapp, and their children, Elana and Samuel. This is her third book. As the son of a fashion illustrator, Joel Puliatti was destined to see things graphically and brought up as an artist in New York. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, he has been published nationally as an architectural and fine art photographer. Joel lives in San Francisco, with his wife, Olivia Teter, and his daughters, Jacqueline and Sophia. Front cover photo © 2007 Joel Puliatti Back cover photo © 2007 Monica Lee Author photo by Andrea Ferreira Jacket design by Glyph Publishing Arts.