The Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, is publishing a new book on float fishing. Authored by local writer Tom Koob with cartographic specialist Curtis Copeland, the book charts the history of a unique Ozarks past time from its origins through the decline of the sport and industry.

The book is in production currently and is expected to be available for purchase in late summer or in the fall of 2024. This spring, the right to use the art that will appear on the cover was granted by the Artists Rights Society in New York. The lithograph was purchased from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The cover will feature Thomas Hart Benton’s “Down the River.”