Happy 45th Anniversary to Petroglyph Press!

1962 was an exciting and eventful year. It saw The Beatles' arrival on the music scene, the release of the first James Bond movie, and the opening of Petroglyph Press in Hilo, Hawaii!

September 2nd marked the 45th Anniversary of Petroglyph Press, which has been printing, copying, and publishing in Hilo since 1962! To celebrate this landmark event, Basically Books hosted a spectacular party, which included refreshments, music by local musician Joe Marquand, and a prize drawing. The afternoon began with speech by Christine Reed, one of the owners of Petroglyph Press, and a traditional Hawaiian blessing presented by Hollis Kiwalao Taylor. When these special presentations had been concluded, the doors opened and the party began!

Guests enjoyed a beautiful anniversary cake specially prepared by Petroglyph Press employee Krisy McKown, as well as other snacks. Petroglyph Press held a drawing for 45 prizes, including a brand new globe! Guests included Mr. and Mrs. Lau, astronomy professor and author Richard Crowe, and even the Travelocity Gnome!

The original owners of Petroglyph Press, the late Stephen and Frances Reed , arrived on the Big Island in 1958. Through Frances' work as Librarian at Hilo Public Library, the Reeds became aware of the demand for Hawaiian books that had gone out of print. Sparked by their desire to resurrect these valuable and popular books, they decided to enter the publishing business. As part of their interest in Hawaii, they also studied with fascination the abundance of petroglyphs on the Big Island of Hawaii. They decided to name their new company Petroglyph Press, in honor of this ancient Hawaiian form of graphic communication. And so, in September of 1962, Petroglyph Press was born.

Today, Petroglyph Press remains the only publisher in the state of Hawaii that can claim its products are entirely "made in Hawaii." From design and composition through binding and distribution, Petroglyph Press creates books about Hawaii in its downtown Hilo facility. Petroglyph Press also remains a family business—in 1974 Stephen and Frances' son, David, assumed management of the business. David's wife Christine became his business partner in 1976 when they were married. David and Christine have grown the Press into a multi-faceted operation at 160 Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo. Their firm includes Basically Books, which offers Hawaiiana books, maps, and gifts. Petroglyph Press is still going strong, with 15 books in print as well as copy, fax, and printing services available at its location in the back of Basically Books.

Mahalo to all of our friends in Hilo for making our 45th Anniversary special, and for all the wonderful memories that the past 45 years have brought. Let's make the next 45 just as great!