The word was formed by combining Coke and Asbury, the names of the first two general superintendents of The Methodist Episcopal Church in America. The primary use of the word Cokesbury today is that of The United Methodist Publishing House as the name for its retail bookstores and mail order service. Prior to 1939 Cokesbury Press was the trade name of the publishing house of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South. At union in 1939, the names of the publishing houses were combined to form Abingdon-Cokesbury. Subsequently, the name Abingdon was used as the trade name for the publishing house and Cokesbury for the bookstores.
Source: A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press. Used by Permission.
