Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Emily Cox
Henry Rathvon

Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon are a married, retired American puzzle-writing team. They wrote the "Atlantic Puzzler", a monthly cryptic crossword in The Atlantic magazine, from September 1977 to October 2009,[1][2] and wrote cryptic crosswords every four weeks for The Wall Street Journal from 2010 to 2023.[3]

Often published under the pseudonym Hex, Cox and Rathvon are considered pioneers of the American cryptic crossword and remain among the form's greatest exponents.[4][5][6] Their first efforts were inspired by attempts to follow in the footsteps of Stephen Sondheim and Richard Maltby, Jr. at New York magazine.[3]

Cryptic Crosswords for The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal

Their first cryptic puzzle for The Atlantic, on 1 Sep 1977, was entitled "Short and Sweet." They wrote a total of 370 puzzles for The Atlantic,[3] although, beginning in March 2006, the Atlantic Puzzler was published online-only.[4]

Their first cryptic for the Wall Street Journal in January 2010 subtly announced their new home; it was entitled "Relocation." The instructions began,

It’s Moving Day! We’ve packed everything into 143 boxes and left it for you, dear solver, to figure out what goes where.[7]

"Relocation" was the first of 181 Journal puzzles.[3]

All of their puzzles for The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal are available online.[3]

Retirement

They retired in December 2023. Their retirement was announced, cryptically, in their 16 Dec 2023 WSJ Saturday Variety Puzzle, "Departure."[8]

Other Work

They also created acrostics and cryptic crosswords for the New York Times, cryptics for Canada's National Post, puzzles for the US Airways in-flight magazine, and (with Henry Hook) Sunday crosswords for the Boston Globe.

In 2007, they created an elaborate marriage proposal for two aficionados of the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine crossword. Aric Egmont and Jennie Bass, a young couple in Boston, shared a love of crossword puzzles, and were accustomed to doing the Sunday crossword puzzle together. Intending to propose, and hoping for a great surprise, Aric approached Doug Most, the editor of the Globe Magazine, and through him, Cox and Rathvon, soliciting a special crossword. Cox and Rathvon's puzzle, "Popping the Question," appeared on Sunday 23 Sep 2007, and was filled both with personal references for Jennie — the names of her friend, her sister, and even Egmont's name — and with various clued clever forms of marriage proposal. The answer to "A poker player's proposal" was "May I have your hand," and to "Macrame artist's proposal" was "Let's tie the knot." The two most significant clues were 111 across, "Generic Proposal," a typically cryptic homophonic clue combining "Jen" and "Aric," and 116 across, "Winston's mother." The answers, of course, were "Will you marry me?" and "Jennie." Her answer was an emphatic "Yes."[9][10]

In 2005, Rathvon's play Trapezium, a comedy in iambic pentameter, was produced by the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival. The play was also performed at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, CT in 2010.[11]

Personal life

Cox's parents were the pianist Shirley Louise (née Peet) Cox and the Rev. Dr. Howard H. Cox.[12] From a young age, Emily showed interest in playing trombone, painting suspension bridges,[13] reading about science matters, and rock climbing.[14]

Cox and Rathvon, who are married,[15] at one point lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. ^ Arnot, Michelle (August 5, 2008). Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider. Penguin. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-399-53435-5. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  2. ^ "Biography". The Atlantic Monthly.
  3. ^ a b c d e Cox, Emily; Rathvon, Henry. "Cryptic Puzzles by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon". Cox Rathvon (Hex). Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b LaFrance, Adrienne (October 1, 2018). "Introducing The Atlantic Crossword". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Kosman, Joshua; Picciotto, Henri (September 12, 2013). "Cryptic Royalty". The Nation. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Zimmer, Ben (December 4, 2021). "Stephen Sondheim Didn't Just Change Musicals. He Changed Crosswords". Slate. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  7. ^ Cox, Emily; Rathvon, Henry. "Relocation". Cox Rathvon (Hex). Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  8. ^ Cox, Emily; Rathvon, Henry. "Departure (Saturday Variety Puzzle, December 16)". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "111 Across: Will You Marry Me? Puzzle lover plants marriage proposal in the Boston Globe's Sunday crossword". ABC News. ABC News. September 25, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "My Jumbo Valentine: How to Propose with Style and What To Do If You're Jilted at the Altar". Tufts Magazine. Tufts University. Winter 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  11. ^ https://www.playhouseonpark.org/pop/20092010Season/playsandmusicals_trapezium.html
  12. ^ Popichak, Josh (November 21, 2020). "Shirley Louise (Peet) Cox, 92, of Bethlehem (Obituary)". sauconsource.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  13. ^ "Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  14. ^ Horne, Jim (November 8, 2008). "Acrostics Creators". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "Man uses crossword puzzle for marriage proposal". The Standard-Times. September 25, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2023.