George Coffin

George Sturgis Coffin, born in Waltham, Massachusetts, on September 8, 1903 and died at Waltham-Weston Hospital near his home in Belmont on March 12, 1994.

A descendant of Tristrum's son Stephen Coffin, he was a 1928 graduate of Harvard and 1931 winner of The Bridge World international problem solving contest^{[citation needed]}. He was also co-founder of the American Bridge Teachers Association (ABTA)^{[citation needed]}.

Coffin was a famous author, publisher and distributor of bridge books and supplies. Author of more than 200 books that included bridge, poker, cribbage and other card games, he was particularly known for his exceptional technique in bridge endplays (eliminations, squeezes and coups) resulting in his nickname "Endplays" Coffin, after his classic books of the same title.^[1] He also wrote about fungi, on which he was an authority. He is survived by a daughter, Harriette Johnson of Shelburne Falls, Mass., and two grandchildren.

Selective bibliography

• Coffin, George (1932, 1932, 1938, 1950, 1957, 1975, 1981). Endplays in Bridge. Various publishers. ISBN 0-486-24230-7.  Check date values in: |date= (help) Recognized as having made a major contribution to the technical development of the game.^[2]
• Coffin, George (1954, 1955, 1961, 1975). Bridge Play from A to Z. Faber and Faber, London. ISBN 0-486-23891-1.  Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Coffin, George (1952). Sure Tricks. Faber and Faber, London.  Greatly revised edition (1973), revised (1975) entitled Bridge Perfect Plays and Match Points Ways^[3]
• Coffin, George (1967). Double Dummy Bridge. 
• Coffin, George (1975). Bridge Play Four Classics. Duckworth and Company Limited.  Consolidates the latest versions of the preceding four books into one.

References

External links

• Obituary (The New York Times, May 5, 1994)
• George Coffin's Collection by Hugh Darwen (2004)