Our Story, about Robeth Publishing, LLC
by Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes
Advocates for
literacy will often tell you that a book can change your life. I have to
agree. Yet, the book that altered mine was not authored by a well known
individual. It was not a classic, and it wasn’t even published by an
established publishing house. It was a simple little paperback
book, written by Pearl Comfort Fisher, and published by the San
Bernardino County Museum Association.
My husband and I had moved our
three-year-old son, and infant daughter to Wrightwood California in
November of 1982. I loved the charming little village, and wanted to
learn as much as possible about my new home. I began reading
everything I could find, which included Ms. Fisher’s book, The
Mountaineers, a historical account of the area.
It
was from that book that I came up with the idea of
Mountain/Hi-Desert Guide (Guide). I had a degree in
Communications, and had already learned that I was not meant for hard
news. Instead, I was more interested in a publication that would
explore local history, and help residents and visitors get the most out
of the area by making it easy to find local organizations and upcoming
events and community activities.
The Guide was born in
the summer of 1985. My first advertiser was Willy Williams, of Williams
Wrightwood Realty, and his ad remained on the back page of the
publication during my time as its publisher.
Several years before the
Guide, I self-published Great-Grandma’s Recipe Book.
After my grandmothers passed away, I had in my possession their
handwritten recipe cards, including some written by my Great-Grandma
Clint. I wanted to share the recipes with family and friends, and so I
began the arduous task of kitchen testing each one. Most were
informally written, often listing just the ingredients.
After testing and re-writing
the recipes, I published the book for family and friends. It was
then Robeth Publishing was created. A bit corny and sentimental,
it is a combination of the names of my son (Robert) and daughter
(Elizabeth).
When the Guide went to
press, it did so under Robeth Publishing, and it served the communities
of Wrightwood, Phelan and Pinon Hills, California.
In 1988 and 1989, we published
an annual full color magazine,
Wrightwood Magazine.
Mountain/Hi-Desert Guide was a wonderful
experience and adventure. I published it from 1985 until 1991, when I
sold it to June Woodmansee and Susan Johnson. My father was
terminally ill, and our family needed to leave our beloved Wrightwood,
and move to Lake Havasu (where I was originally from), to assist my
parents in operating their family business,
Havasu Palms.
During my time publishing the
Guide, I met some wonderful people who helped bring our
publication to life, and some who welcomed me into their homes, to
conduct interviews, sharing stories of their pioneer families with our
readers.
After I returned to Havasu, I
once again returned to what I loved, writing about local history. I
wrote and published,
Where the Road Ends, about the history of one of the oldest
camps on Lake Havasu, which, at the time, was our family home.
Then came the internet, and by 1999 I was
publishing an online magazine called
Havasu Magazine.
Since that time we have published various books, which are available for
sale online, and several websites.
Today Robeth Publishing has been absorbed
by Robeth Publishing, LLC, whose website is
Robeth.com.