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]

  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 Cox, Emily; Rathvon, Henry. "Cryptic Puzzles by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon". Cox Rathvon (Hex). Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. ^ 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.