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CORVALLIS, Ore. - An Oregon State University faculty member, nature lover and avid fly fisherman has published a new book that explores the way people "invent" the places they live, and how those places in turn shape the people.

Ted Leeson's new book, "Inventing Montana: Dispatches from the Madison Valley," documents how the author and his close group of friends return every summer for two decades to a ranch house overlooking the Madison River in Montana. Fly fishing is the main activity that brings them to the house, but Leeson explores the experience of being in this place and examining the flora and fauna of the valley.

The book ruminates on the nature of friendship, leisure and place, and examines the relationships of humans and the natural landscapes around them.

Released by New York-based Skyhorse Publishing, "Inventing Montana" has already received acclaim as a book not to be missed by fly fishers and naturalists alike. Acclaimed nature writer Franklin Burroughs said of the book: "This is not a wonderful book for the serious angler. It is simply a wonderful book."

Leeson has taught at OSU for 25 years and is the author or editor of nearly a dozen books and hundreds of magazine articles. In 1998 he wrote the first comprehensive book on fly-tying techniques, "The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference."

Editors: To obtain a copy of the book for review, contact Thomas Semosh at 212-643-6816, ext. 224 or email [email protected]