Old Friends: Hawaii publisher Bess Press celebrates 40 years

Bess Press may best be known for popular books like the comical “Peppo’s Pidgin to da Max,” a top seller for almost as many decades as it has been spreading the word about the charms of Hawaii’s local culture.

But the independent press, founded 40 years ago by Benjamin “Buddy” Bess, started out printing textbooks in the midst of the Hawaiian Renaissance, after a 1978 state law mandated that schoolchildren be taught about the language, culture and history of Hawaii.

“It was a seminal moment for me,” said Bess in an email interview. He and his wife, Ann, invested their life savings into printing the company’s first textbook in 1979, and the company is still a major curriculum source in the state. Since its founding, Bess Press has produced over 300 books related to Hawaii and the Pacific region.

His guiding principle has always been to “bring to light the many layered beauties that exist in Hawaii,” with all its ethnic diversity, Bess said. Popular topics range from the definitively local Peppo’s illustrated pidgin dictionary (published in 1981) and its sequels; to children’s books, memoirs, cookbooks and reference books about the Pacific Islands.

David DeLuca, director of publishing and development for the past five years, said Bess Press isn’t so much interested in publishing books about Hawaii for the visitor industry. “Its emphasis has always been to create local content for locals. That attitude has validated us over the years.”

Bess said DeLuca, who is also his son-in-law, is “the biggest asset the press has had over the past 10 to 12 years.” He said DeLuca had the vision to open a new store in Kaimuki last April, and has been able to fine-tune the publishing and distribution of books to thrive in “the new retail reality that all book publishers face.” Where once the state had as many as 32 bookstores, the number has diminished to less than 10, as a result of the digital revolution, Bess added.

People who value the tactile, aesthetic experience of reading from a printed page will find a cozy haven in da Shop: Books & Curiosities, the stylish store fronting the Harding Avenue building that’s been the company’s office and warehouse for 25 years. The “curiosities” in its name refers to a curated selection of small, unusual things related to art and literature, including exhibits by budding artists, journals and novelty items that kids like to handle. National and international best-sellers are also carried at the bookstore.

DeLuca believes that print is far from dead and people will always value books — which he calls “little works of art” — to re-read in a personal library, or to be given as meaningful gifts.

Even the e-commerce giant Amazon, which has always sold Bess Press’ books, has opened up about a dozen brick-and-mortar bookstores in the last two years, DeLuca said, adding, “It all comes full circle.” People are growing less enchanted with big-box retailers and buying online just for hefty discounts. The younger generation wants authentic, one-on-one experiences they don’t get from a click of a mouse — “that’s stale because it’s not a human-to-human connection,” DeLuca said.

“It becomes more personal when you can find local content you can read with your kid, whether it’s the story of hula or surfing. It makes it that much more special. … There’s a big difference between us and Amazon.”

Bess Press is also a family collaboration, including the founder’s wife, Ann Bess, who has written two textbooks; and their daughter Sarah DeLuca, the author of a 40-book series, Island Readers. Married to David DeLuca, she is a Hanahau‘oli School teacher, whose series on early childhood reading is being translated into Hawaiian and other Pacific Island languages.

DeLuca said inspiration for da Shop came from repeatedly hearing that customers wanted a community bookstore, “a place where someone could go to browse, sit and relax, find themselves, or something they’re interested in.” He hopes the store will become a neighborhood anchor that draws a wide audience by hosting events like book signings, author lectures, film screenings, keiki hula and cooking demos.

Buddy Bess retired about five years ago when DeLuca became a co-owner and partner, but continues as an adviser. A former book salesman from New York, Bess and his wife, a University of Hawaii English professor, arrived in Honolulu in 1976, knowing nothing about “Hawaii’s multicultural depth and nuances.”

He spent the first two years unemployed and playing a lot of basketball at nearby Kanewai Community Park and the old University of Hawaii at Manoa Klum Gym, and took up bodysurfing. “I mentioned this because in both of those instances I developed an ear for pidgin, food, island ways and thus a strong appreciation of local culture,” Bess said.

Once the 1978 education law was passed, he spent a few years visiting each school and library throughout the state, selling textbooks and listening to thousands of educators and librarians on what the students needed.

“It was a magic and wondrous time for me personally. … I felt a very strong sense of place, from the plantation towns on Lanai and Waialua, to the burgeoning resort towns of Lahaina, and watching the growth of tourism throughout the islands.”

He found the authors, photographers and others needed to develop the books that were not being provided by mainland or other local publishers, and invested in printing them. Dozens have influenced him to spotlight Hawaii’s culture, but standouts include “Auntie” Nona Beamer, a champion of teaching Hawaiiana in schools; kindred spirit Maile Meyer, founder of Na Mea Hawaii bookstore; and Robert Lokomaka’iokalani Snakenberg, who spearheaded the kupuna-led Hawaiian studies program in schools.

Publishing books is a combination of art and commerce, Bess said, “trying to balance the chemistry so that a book’s content is the art, and trying to break even, at the least, is the goal of every book we publish.

“We treat each and every book like one would do with a family member; with high hopes for the future and at some point in time the reality that each of us and each of our books has its own life force.”

“Old Friends” catches up with longtime local companies. Email suggestions to pgee@staradvertiser.com or call Pat Gee at 529-4749.