David Elliot Cohen is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and editor who has, over a 30-year span, created more than 70 photography books. He is probably best known for the best-selling ''Day in the Life'' and ''America 24/7'' series of photography books that he co-created with

Rick Smolan Rick Smolan (born November 5, 1949) is a former ''Time'', ''Life'', and ''National Geographic'' photographer best known as the co-creator of the ''Day in the Life'' book series. He is currently CEO of Against All Odds Productions, a cross-medi ...

. Cohen created four ''New York Times'' bestsellers: ''A Day in the Life of America'' (1986), ''A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union'' (1987), ''

Christmas in America ''Christmas In America'' is the twenty-second studio album and a holiday album by Kenny Rogers. Track listing Personnel * Kenny Rogers – lead vocals * Matt Rollings – pianos * Mike Lawler – synthesizers * Larry Byrom – acoustic ...

'' (1988), and '' America 24/7'' (2003). His 2009 book, ''Obama: The Historic Front Pages'' was a ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' and ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' bestseller. His 2008 book, ''What Matters'' combined photo-reportage about essential issues of our time with essays by prominent commentators including

Samantha Power Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...

Jeffrey Sachs Jeffrey David Sachs () (born 5 November 1954) is an American economist, academic, public policy analyst, and former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, where he holds the title of University Professor. He is known for his work ...

and

Bill McKibben William Ernest McKibben (born December 8, 1960)"Bill Ernest McKibben." ''Environmental Encyclopedia''. Edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, December 31, 2017. is a ...

. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' called the book, "Powerful and passionate." He also wrote a

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...

, ''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 The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' called the book "honest, reflective, and often uproariously funny,". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' was less flattering, calling it, "a book that proves it is also possible to go almost everywhere and learn almost nothing." Cohen wrote a second travelogue in 2016, entitled ''The Wrong Dog''. The ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' said “Despite the adorable puppy portrait on the cover, the book is more than the story of Simba and the cross-country road trip. It’s a beautifully written memoir... funny, sweet, and sad.” In 2018 ''The Wrong Dog'' won an International Book Award, a National Indie Excellence Award and an Independent Press Award, all in the animal and pet books category. Cohen was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, grew up in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

. He lived in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

for ten years before moving to

Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...

. He returned to Manhattan in 2014. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1977 with a degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. 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. He currently serves on the board of the International Center for Journalists.

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.

Traveler's Tales, June, 2001.
"Olympus Partners with America 24-7, The Largest Photography Project in History"
Olympus and America 24/7, May, 2003.

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

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, David Elliot 1955 births Living people American male writers American publishers (people) Jewish American writers Yale College alumni 21st-century American Jews