Abingdon Press is the book publishing arm of the United Methodist Publishing House[1] which publishes sheet music, ministerial resources, Bible-study aids, and other items, often with a focus on Methodism and Methodists.
| Parent company | United Methodist Publishing House |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Nashville, Tennessee, US |
| Imprints |
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| Official website | www |
Abingdon Press was begun in the early 1900s by the Methodist Church, with headquartersinNew York City. The name of the imprint is a reference to the town of Abingdon, Maryland, location of the Methodist university Cokesbury College.[2]
In 1923 the Methodist Episcopal Church, South adopted the name Cokesbury for its own publishing concern, with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] When the northern and southern branches of the Methodist Episcopal Church reunified in 1939, the name Abingdon-Cokesbury was chosen as the name of publishing house of the unitary Methodist Church and Nashville was chosen as the headquarters.[2]
This name remained in use until 1954, when a return was made to the name Abingdon Press, with the church's retail division for its publishing enterprises assuming the name Cokesbury.[2] In 1965 the joint Abingdon Press and the associated Cokesbury retail shops employed more than 2,000 people.[3]