William S. Walker Explores DOWN THE LITTLE PEE DEE

FORK RETCH, S.C. -

Explore the Little Pee Dee, a classic Southern blackwater river most famous for its association with Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. South Carolina native William S. Walker takes readers on a 109-mile journey down the river with a compelling personal narrative that intertwines the history of the river - and his family's history - with a series of adventures on the waterway. Walker and naturalist L.L. Gaddy, share their experiences in a new book released by Dog Ear Publishing.

"Down the Little Pee Dee: Paddling South Carolina's Legendary Blackwater River" combines the written impressions of Walker, an author and former newspaper editor, and Gaddy, a well-known Southern naturalist and author. The two launched from the river's headwaters at Red Bluff Lake in Marlboro County, S.C., and finished the journey at the junction with the Great Pee Dee River near the Atlantic Ocean. The 172-page book includes 75 of the best color photographs selected from more than 10,000 digital images the men took on the river.

Underway in lightweight kayaks, Walker and Gaddy spent more than 160 hours on the river during 18 day trips that took them through four South Carolina counties - Marlboro, Dillon, Marion and Horry. The book shares the personal stories of many of the dozens of people they met during the trip plus Gaddy's observations on the flora, fauna and wildlife.

Author William S. Walker from Nichols, S.C., worked as a reporter and editor in the United States and Europe for more than 40 years, writing for newspapers on assignment in more than 50 countries. Walker has had a lifelong interest in the state's Pee Dee region and in Francis Marion, South Carolina's greatest Revolutionary War hero. Walker is a graduate of Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and has a Ph.D. in East European history from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg, Germany. During his time as a reporter and editor at the daily newspaper Stars and Stripes in Darmstadt, Germany, Walker covered the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and detailed the plight of Bosnian refugees in his book "German and Bosnian Voices In A Time Of Crisis."

L.L. Gaddy, a naturalist and author from Timmonsville, S.C., is based in Columbia, S.C., and has been interested in the Pee Dee region for more than 50 years. He is president of the environmental consulting firm Terra Incognita and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a Ph.D. in biogeography from the University of Georgia. His 40-year career includes studying endangered species, wetlands and conservation from Maine to Idaho. Gaddy's books include "The Natural History of the Congaree Swamp," "Biodiversity: Przewalski's horse, Edna's Trillium, the Giant Squid, and over 1.5 Million Other Species," "Ferns of the West Indies," "Spiders of the Carolinas" and "Naturalist's Guide to the Blue Ridge Front."

For additional information, please visit http://www.wswbooks.com

Down the Little Pee Dee: Paddling South Carolina's Legendary Blackwater River
William S. Walker
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-2917-7 172 pages $15.95 US soft cover
ISBN: 978-1-4575-3138-5 172 pages $25.95 US hardback

Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.