Richard Cohen (fencer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Cohen is a British fencer
who competed at three Olympic Games
and the author of "Chasing the Sun," the story of man's relationship to that star, and "By the Sword", a history of fencing. He is the founder of the book publisher Richard Cohen Books.
, England. He learned to fence while at Downside School
, near Bath. He was British Sabre
Champion five times and was selected for the British team in four Olympics from 1972 to 1984, although he did not compete at the Moscow Olympics because of a sporting boycott.
While competing as a fencer, he worked for book publishers and became a publishing director of Hutchinson
and Hodder & Stoughton
. He went on to found his own publishers, Richard Cohen Books, which won the Sunday Times Small publisher of the Year award in 1998. Cohen wrote a book on fencing, By the Sword (2002), with the subtitle A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions.
Cohen was World Veterans’ Sabre Champion in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 and has been European sabre champion eight times, making him the most successful single-weapon fencer of veteran fencing. He lives in New York City
with his wife Kathy Robbins, a literary agent. His daughter, Mary (born 1986), was British épée champion in 2006 and since that date has been a member of the British team at world and European championships. In 2010 father (for Northern Ireland) and daughter (for England) competed in the same Commonwealth championships, the first father and daughter to do so.
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
who competed at three Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and the author of "Chasing the Sun," the story of man's relationship to that star, and "By the Sword", a history of fencing. He is the founder of the book publisher Richard Cohen Books.
Career
Cohen was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England. He learned to fence while at Downside School
Downside School
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school for children aged 11 to 18, located in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Norton Radstock and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, south west England. It is attached to Downside Abbey...
, near Bath. He was British Sabre
Sabre (fencing)
The sabre is one of the three weapons of modern sport fencing, and is alternatively spelled saber in American English. The sabre differs from the other modern fencing weapons, the épée and foil, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade; for this reason, sabreur movements and...
Champion five times and was selected for the British team in four Olympics from 1972 to 1984, although he did not compete at the Moscow Olympics because of a sporting boycott.
While competing as a fencer, he worked for book publishers and became a publishing director of Hutchinson
Hutchinson (publisher)
Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
and Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
. He went on to found his own publishers, Richard Cohen Books, which won the Sunday Times Small publisher of the Year award in 1998. Cohen wrote a book on fencing, By the Sword (2002), with the subtitle A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions.
Cohen was World Veterans’ Sabre Champion in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 and has been European sabre champion eight times, making him the most successful single-weapon fencer of veteran fencing. He lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his wife Kathy Robbins, a literary agent. His daughter, Mary (born 1986), was British épée champion in 2006 and since that date has been a member of the British team at world and European championships. In 2010 father (for Northern Ireland) and daughter (for England) competed in the same Commonwealth championships, the first father and daughter to do so.