Charles Joyner, Burroughs Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Southern History and Culture at Coastal Carolina University, has been elected a Fellow of the prestigious Society of American Historians in recognition of "the literary and scholarly distinction" of his historical writing.

"I am deeply honored to be elected a Fellow of the Society in the company of such distinguished historians as David McCullough and James McPherson," said Joyner.

The Society of American Historians was founded in 1939 to promote literary distinction in the writing of history and biography. Combining both academic historians and professional writers, the Society limits its membership to 250 historians.

Joyner is the author of "Down by the Riverside," which has been called "the finest book ever written on American slavery." A study of the rice plantations along the Waccamaw River in Georgetown and Horry counties, the book was published by the University of Illinois Press in 1984 and won the National University Press Book Award. A 25th anniversary edition, with a new introduction, is set for publication Oct. 1, 2009.

An alumnus of Myrtle Beach High School, Joyner holds doctoral degrees in history and in folklife. He has lectured at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Berkeley and many other universities. Joyner is the author or editor of several other books and of numerous articles and essays.

Among his awards and honors are an Honorary Life Membership in BrANCH (British American Nineteenth-Century Historians) for his contributions to the transatlantic study of American history, an Honorary Life Membership in the American Civil War Round Table of Australia for his contributions to international understanding of S outhern history and culture, the South Carolina Humanities Council's Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities, and the Lifetime Commitment Award from Bluegrass on the Waccamaw, a local music organization.