In 1979, Bess Press was founded with the reprinting of two Hawaiian history textbooks. Those much-needed texts began the company's mission to develop and create content that educators could regularly use, both inside and outside of the classroom. Today, the publishing company continues its mission to produce diversified textbooks, maps, and supplementary publications for Hawai'i and the Pacific's educational institutions and communities. History textbooks provide a cornerstone to the social studies learning experience; such titles as The Hawaiians of Old, History of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and A Modern History of Hawai'i have been widely used within Hawai'i's schools. Alongside these Hawaiiana titles, Bess Press has published several textbooks for Pacific Island studies with Pacific Neighbors 2nd Edition and Pacific Nations and Territories. These textbooks have focused on elementary, middle school, high school, and post-secondary history and language courses with such additional titles as Pacific Islands: Environment and Society, Ancient Chamorro Society, and Polynesia in Early Historic Times. Bess Press continues to improve and revise current titles, as well as continually develop new educational publications. During 2009, the Press partnered with the Amerika Samoa Humanities Council to publish the first comprehensive high school level textbook on Samoan history. This and other publishing partnerships preserve the integrity of such histories, cultures, and traditions, as well as provide Pacific island countries the opportunity to diversify and enrich their educational offerings in their school systems.