David Elliot Cohen
Encyclopedia
David Elliot Cohen is an American
author
and publisher
who has, over a 30-year span, created more than 70 photography books. He is probably best known for the bestselling Day in the Life and America 24/7 series of photography books that he co-created with Rick Smolan
.
Cohen created four New York Times bestseller
s: A Day in the Life of America (1986)
, A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union (1987), Christmas in America
(1988), and America 24/7
(2003). His 2009 book, Obama: The Historic Front Pages was a USA Today
and Wall Street Journal bestseller. His 2008 book, What Matters combined photo-reportage about essential issues of our time with essays by prominent commentators including Samantha Power
, Jeffrey Sachs
and Bill McKibben
. The Chicago Tribune
called the book, "Powerful and passionate."
He also wrote a travelogue
, One Year Off (1999), which chronicles a rambling 16-month trip around the world by land, air, and sea with his three children, Kara, William, and Lucas. The San Francisco Chronicle
called the book "honest, reflective, and often uproariously funny,". The New York Times
was less flattering, calling it, "a book that proves it is also possible to go almost everywhere and learn almost nothing."
Cohen was born in Buffalo, New York
, grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania
, and lived in Manhattan
for ten years before settling in Marin County, California
. He graduated from Yale University
in 1977 with a degree in English literature
. His honors include a National Jewish Book Award, the American Jewish Committee's humanitarian award, a Catholic Press Association Award and a silver medal from the king of Spain for the promotion of Spanish tourism.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and publisher
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
who has, over a 30-year span, created more than 70 photography books. He is probably best known for the bestselling Day in the Life and America 24/7 series of photography books that he co-created with Rick Smolan
Rick Smolan
Rick Smolan is an American photographer. He is CEO of Against All Odds Productions.-Background:Smolan is a 1972 graduate of Dickinson College. He has worked for TIME, LIFE and National Geographic...
.
Cohen created four New York Times bestseller
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
s: A Day in the Life of America (1986)
, A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union (1987), Christmas in America
Christmas in America
- Overview :Marking Rogers' third Christmas album and his first in five years, Rogers and Norman have produced a series of classic tunes, including the new title track...
(1988), and America 24/7
America 24/7
America 24/7 was a book published by DK in 2003 about culture and life in the United States. It is a photographic book, i.e. every page contains a picture depicting life of Americans from every U.S. State.-Collecting:...
(2003). His 2009 book, Obama: The Historic Front Pages was a USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and Wall Street Journal bestseller. His 2008 book, What Matters combined photo-reportage about essential issues of our time with essays by prominent commentators including Samantha Power
Samantha Power
Samantha Power is an Irish American academic, governmental official and writer. She is currently a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and runs the Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights as Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs on the Staff of the National Security Council...
, Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. One of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University, Sachs became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments in the...
and Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben
William Ernest "Bill" McKibben is an American environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College...
. The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
called the book, "Powerful and passionate."
He also wrote a travelogue
Travel writing
Travel writing is a genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious....
, One Year Off (1999), which chronicles a rambling 16-month trip around the world by land, air, and sea with his three children, Kara, William, and Lucas. The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called the book "honest, reflective, and often uproariously funny,". The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
was less flattering, calling it, "a book that proves it is also possible to go almost everywhere and learn almost nothing."
Cohen was born in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, and lived in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
for ten years before settling in Marin County, California
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
. He graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1977 with a degree in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. His honors include a National Jewish Book Award, the American Jewish Committee's humanitarian award, a Catholic Press Association Award and a silver medal from the king of Spain for the promotion of Spanish tourism.
Major works
Pro bono works
External links
- "Portrait of America: High Tech Photo Book captures scenes of modern life" by Alden Mudge. Book Page Interview", December, 2003.
- "A Day in the Life of Africa: A 24-Hour Vision of a Continent" The Globalist, 2002.
- "One Year Off Press Release" Traveler's Tales, June, 2001.
- "Olympus Partners with America 24-7, The Largest Photography Project in History" Olympus and America 24/7, May, 2003.
- "America 24/7: Extraordinary Images of One American Week" by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen. The Digital Journalist, November, 2003.
- A Day in the Life of Africa online "A Day in the Life of Africa" Book website
- What Matters online What Matters Book website