This was the first Yosemite guidebook utilizing modern topos to describe routes rather than wordy paragraphs that could often lead climbers astray. George Meyers spent several years climbing full time in Yosemite, and also worked for Royal Robbins as a climbing guide in Robbins' school, Rockcraft. Robbins was also the publisher of George Meyer's first book, the pictorial Yosemite Climber. Jim Bridwell made some of the original topos that were the basis for many of the topos in this guidebook. As this guide to Yosemite was one of the important and prominent American rock climbing guidebooks, within a decade almost all new rock climbing guidebooks started using topos. 

George Meyers met his wife Merrill Wilson in Yosemite.  She was a historical architect working to preserve some of the old structures in Yosemite National Park. She helped with the production of this book. This was the first guidebook published by Chockstone Press, which for over twenty years was the leading American climbing guidebook publisher.