Let’s be honest. Your appreciation for this book is going to be directly proportional to your interest in Yellowstone National Park. You have no use for the park; you have no use for the book. You have a passing interest; then this may be passingly interesting. But, if you are fascinated by the park; you will be fascinated by this book.

And my rating reflects that fascination. The book is not for everyone. But for those to whom it is geared, it is great.

This is literally an alphabetical listing of every natural feature within Yellowstone and how each got its name. Geysers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, etc. – they are all here. In some cases, the source of the name is rather straightforward. But in others, there can be a convoluted history that includes names moving among features and people battling for the credit of coming up with the name. (This was even happening in the 1800s.)

But the author is up to the task of trying to straighten it all out (as much as is possible.) He is one of the foremost experts on Yellowstone history and has worked alongside others to help identify the real names, to help make many of the names official, and to actually come up with names for new features. He knows of what he speaks and there is ample evidence that he has scoured the historic record to get to whatever truth is available to be had.

Of course, the basic how-did-this-get-this-name descriptions are interesting. But interspersed in the descriptions are fascinating stories about the history of the park, facts about the geysers, and even some insights into the weird and convoluted process of establishing names for things. It is these that take the book beyond reference to entertainment.

My first foray into the book was the worst way to read this type of book – from first entry to last. However, I still found it entertaining and informative. (And it made me realize just how much more of the park I want to explore.) But now it will be an invaluable resource for looking up individual entries to find out just what is going on

The book is not perfect. For example, some titles appear at the bottom of one page with the description starting on the next. A bit bothersome and distracting. A final copyedit for such things wouldn’t have been a bad thing. And fair warning should be given that it is word heavy. (However, also note that, while the pictures are few and far between, they are fascinating nonetheless.) But these are minor quibbles.

This is a book no fan of the park should be without. But it will also be of interest to anyone who wants to learn a little of Yellowstone’s history, and for anyone who is just interested in how the heck things are named. ( )