Elisabeth Roberts Craft was once described as a “true Renaissance woman.” In an age where hyperbole seems to be the rule, her life’s story was one of genuine accomplishment combined with an unrivaled passion for learning, the arts and history. Even into her 90’s her zest for life scarcely was diminished.
After earning her Bachelor’s degree in ancient history and fine art from Columbia University, and studying for, but not quite finishing, her Masters, Craft began a career as a court reporter. Known for her unmatched speed and accuracy, she quickly rose to the top of her profession and was widely in demand, both in the government and in the private sector. It also afforded her a chance to travel extensively, another lifelong love.
Even after retiring in 1982, Craft scarcely slowed down, continuing to travel and seek volunteer opportunities. She was a great patron of the arts, using her skills as a gifted pianist to help young musicians in a Friday Morning Music Group and even served as an usher at the Shakespeare Theater and Arena Stage.
An active member of the DAR, her enthusiasm for history led her to volunteer at the Smithsonian Institution’s pottery laboratories, where she maintained a keen interest in Greek and Phoenician civilizations. She closely watched archeological developments around the world and regularly joined site excavations whenever she could. In turn this led her to begin writing about the ancient worlds she explored.
A Spy for Hannibal takes place at the beginning of the second Punic War and the crossing of the Alps by Hannibal and his army. In the Court of the Queen is set in Babylon at the time of Hammurabi, the famous law-giver. The Ambassador’s Daughter begins in the Mitanni, an ancient empire in the area of Iraq and Syria around 1300BC and continues with visits with the Hittites in Turkey, the Minoans in Crete and the Egyptians in Africa. Hope I Haunt You Eternally, a novel set in a more recent time, the early 1960’s,. is a story of love and conspiracy, completed shortly before her death in 2010.
