This is the third edition of the book Place Names of the Sierra Nevada, first published in 1986. In this book are the place names of the Sierra Nevada from the Lake Tahoe basin south to Walker Pass. Not included are place names within Yosemite National Park, with the exception of the names for the features on the park's boundary with the adjacent national forest. All other Yosemite names are in the book Yosemite Place Names. The origin of the names within the Lake Tahoe Basin are in the book Tahoe Place Names. Both those books are also published by Great West Books. Altitudes of most peaks and lakes are given, and the name of the topographical map and the feature's location on that map are also provided. The names of the current 7.5' maps are referenced to their positions on the former 15' map series. There is an extensive bibliography. New in this edition are two indexes: one is of those who named features, and the other of those whose names appear in the text of various entries

Over the years, the High Sierra has attracted a diverse group of travelers and residents who have explored its rivers, valleys, mountain peaks, lakes and passes. These names are clues to the colorful and unusual aspects of the area's past, and the people and events that shaped it.

Author and researcher Helen Carlson spent almost fourteen years searching for the origins of Nevada’s place names, using the maps of explorers, miners, government surveyors, and city planners and poring through historical accounts, archival documents, county records, and newspaper files. The result of her labors is Nevada Place Names, a fascinating mixture of history spiced with folklore, legend, and obscure facts. Out of print for some years, the book was reprinted in 1999.

This anniversary edition concentrates on the origins of the names currently used for the cities, towns, settlements, mountains, and streams of California, with engrossing accounts of the history of their usage. The dictionary includes a glossary and a bibliography.