Praise For...

The Tubman Command

"For reasons unknown, the U.S. Treasury appears to have shelved plans to put Tubman on the $20 bill. For those responsible for the decision, this book ought to be assigned reading."— The Wall Street Journal

“If you think you know all about Harriet Tubman, think again—this novel brings her alive as only fiction can. With a historian's grasp of detail, Elizabeth Cobbs spins a gripping tale of romance, wartime spies, and daring escapes.  The story of Harriet Tubman’s leadership of black troops behind enemy lines, The Tubman Command illuminates the unfathomable bravery of people fighting for liberty and the birth of a better nation. Harriet emerges from these pages as a brilliant strategist, master of psychology, and a fully-rounded woman whose legendary heroism has made her a cherished American icon.” —Kate Manning, author, My Notorious Life

“Cobbs paints a vivid portrait of Tubman at the heart of one of the most innovative, daring, and dangerous missions of the Civil War. The heroic and brilliant Tubman is brought vividly to life as a flesh-and-blood woman and a strong and cunning leader in this compelling and instructive fictional tribute.” —Booklist

“Rich historical detail adds texture, but the highlight is Harriet, a woman who repeatedly risks her life for the freedom of others. [A] terrific portrait of Tubman.” – Publishers Weekly

“A stirring fictional tribute.” -- Kirkus

“A phenomenal piece of writing, which humanizes one of America’s most beloved icons . . . [and shows] a different side of a woman who many Americans think they already know."

Edda L. Fields-Black, Author of the Forthcoming 'Combee’: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and the Civil War Transformations among the Gullah Geechee

"Cobbs is that rare writer who possesses both the uncanny eye of the historian and the dynamism of a natural storyteller. By the last chapter I was breathless and near tears, captivated by the true tale of one woman who railed against injustice and changed the course of history."

Fiona Davis, national best-selling author of The Masterpiece

Praise for…

The Hello Girls

"This engaging history crackles with admiration for the women who served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the First World War, becoming the country’s first female soldiers." 

The New Yorker

"In this groundbreaking work, Cobbs weaves the trials and triumphs of America’s first female soldiers (although they wouldn’t win the right to claim that distinction until 1979) with the fight for women’s rights and the rising waves of feminism."

      Library Journal, starred review

"This splendidly written book reveals the bravery and grit of the nation’s first women soldiers. During World War I, they were deployed to France, only to be denied recognition as veterans upon return. Their remarkable stories come alive in Cobbs’ wonderfully absorbing narrative as does the world of contradictions in which they lived and served."

        Ellen Fitzpatrick, author of The Highest Glass Ceiling

"What an eye-opener! Hello Girls tells the lost story of the women who braved the war in Europe to provide essential communications between U.S. commanders and fighters in the field. Elizabeth Cobbs unearths the original letters and diaries of these forgotten heroines and weaves them into a fascinating narrative with energy and zest."

          Cokie Roberts, author of Capital Dames

"Writing with panache and acumen, Cobbs tells the colorful story of the women who served in the Army’s Signal Corps in World War I, while opening fresh perspectives on communications technology, the nature of modern warfare, the nation’s treatment of veterans, and the never-ending struggle of women for their full rights as citizens. “The Hello Girls” turns a good tale into a great tool for understanding some of history’s grandest themes."  

          David M. Kennedy, author of Over Here

“This fine book uses the history of Signal Corps women to explore broader questions about modern warfare and the woman suffrage movement. Cobbs shows us that introducing women into a story traditionally told through men’s eyes allows for a richer narrative of how the nation mobilized for and fought World War I.”

          Lynn Dumenil, author of The Second Line of Defense

“Cobbs reconstructs the largely forgotten history of the Hello Girls and situates them within the tumultuous context of World War I. Their participation on the front lines as telephone operators illuminates the larger transformations that Americans experienced during the Great War and that defined the emergence of the modern United States.”

         Bruce J. Schulman, editor of Making the American Century

“An absolutely terrific read that is impossible to put down. It encompasses not only the war, but women’s’ rights, the birth of the telecommunications industry, and individual stories of heroism and resilience. These women ensured that the Army’s communications ran smoothly in a war that was everything but smooth.

Seriously, I can’t put it down.”

          The Angry Staff Officer Blog

Praise for…

The Hamilton Affair

"Cobbs’ novel presents a thoroughly researched portrait of the Hamiltons that makes you feel like you are in the room where it happened. It’s a bouquet to obsessed Hamilfans, but this well-written novel is enough to keep the lay reader satisfied, too."

The Miami Herald

"...Cobbs’s depiction of Hamilton will endear him in the hearts of readers and shed light on one of the most misunderstood figures in American history and the woman who shared his life."

Publisher's Weekly

"Why did Alexander Hamilton risk everything? Why did Eliza Hamilton stand by him? This complicated couple who did so much for young America spring to life in this entertaining, well-told tale." 

Cokie Roberts, author of Capital Dames. 

"Historic scholarship and creative music have suddenly turned Alexander Hamilton into one of the hottest of the nation's Founding Fathers. The Hamilton Affair promises to turn up the heat even further. Elizabeth Cobb's superb novel about the many lives and perils of Hamilton and his wife Eliza adds delights and insights that are as fascinating as they are fun. Think of it as a terrific-and must- companion to all things Hamilton." 

Jim Lehrer, author of Top Down" A Novel of the Kennedy Assassination

"If you want the authoritative biography of Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow is the place to go. If historical fiction is your preference. Elizabeth Cobbs has now written the Hamilton novel that immediately leaps to the top of the list." 

Joseph J. Ellis, author of Founding Brothers

"With the expertise of an historian and the intimacy and immediacy of a gifted novelist, Elizabeth Cobbs plunges us into the cauldron of love, war, betrayal, slavery, blackmail, revolution, dueling, and banking in which our nation was brewed- and delivers us into the conflicted heart of one of its most passionate and misunderstood heroes." 

Steven Harrigan, author of A Friend of Mr. Lincoln's. 

"It's been more than 200 years since Alexander Hamilton was as celebrated as he is right now, what a stroke of luck that an actual award-winning historian has come along just now with such a richly detailed and entertaining novel about the most freshly fabulous American Founder."

Kurt Anderson, author of True Believers and Heyday

Praise for…

American Umpire 

"American Umpire is the most persuasive and sensible one volume interpretation of the whole history of American foreign policy to appear in at least a generation."

Philip Zelikow, University of Virginia

"In this bold revision of the history of American foreign policy, Stanford historian Hoffman upends the notion that the U.S. was ever an empire..."

Publishers' Weekly

"A useful, cogent examination of why, despite some folly and ill judgment, America continues to be the one country the world looks to when in crisis or need of support.

Kirkus Reviews

"American Umpire is startlingly original, a fascinating interpretation of the history of the United States in the world." 

Erez Manela, coeditor of The Shock of the Global: The 1970s in Perspective

"Are we really exceptional? Have we really improved the world through our foreign activities? Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman offers a resounding yes to both questions. With insight and wit, she explains how Americans have helped to build more open, accountable, and peaceful societies across the globe."

 Jeremi Suri, Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama

"Few ideas about world politics seem more popular than the notion that the United States, still the world's great superpower, has formed its own form of empire. This is the notion that Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman challenges in this fast-paced, always provocative, and certainly controversial interpretation of America's global role."

 Jack Rakove, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America

Praise for…

Broken Promises

"I completely loved Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman's Broken Promises. The cover, like the book, radiates sophistication and English reserve....All the characters were extremely likeable, and I felt a strong connection to every one of them. Julia's romance with Baxter was forbidden by society and judgmental parents, difficult in the way that the couple had to work to overcome barriers in their relationship, tender, and most importantly to me, clean....The muddied logic of war and how it impacted friendships and relationships was expertly woven into the story, most memorably with Baxter's split loyalties."

Book Divas

"Successful on many levels, the novel demonstrates Cobbs Hoffman's literary sensitivity for lively details that shine light into an area that, in the minds of many, remains one of the dimmest corners of war memory....[A]n important achievement."

Civil War Book Review

"'Broken Promises' delivers a fascinating combination of historical romance and a large dose of history....For those unaware of the intervention of the English during the Civil War, the novel provides an additional perspective on a very harrowing time in American history."

Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

"Readers who relish the period will appreciate Hoffman's capable melange of fact (the basic Adams narrative) and fiction."

Publishers Weekly

"Charles Francis Adams is an unlikely subject, best known as the son of John Quincy and father of Henry Adams. But he does have a story of his own to tell, primarily as America's resourceful minister to Great Britain during the Civil War. Hoffman recovers it with conspicuous grace and style in a work of historical fiction that brings the man and era to life with considerable sophistication and narrative flair."

Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer Prize Winner and author of First Family: Abigail and John Adams

"For a fictionalized account of historical events to have value, it must stay true to fact and, in doing so, promote a deeper understanding of the period. Cobbs Hoffman succeeds on both counts...Her writing is lively, witty, snappy, clever, and sometimes emotionally moving and quite funny."

Howard Jones, H-Diplo OnLine

"Difficult to put down. Both fun to read and edifying...The historical accuracy of the main plot line is beyond reproach."

Amy S. Greenberg, Journal of Diplomatic History

"Historian Hoffman intertwines history, romance, intrigue and fun in a novel that draws readers into her fresh take on the American Civil War...The author's take is honest, truthfully pointing toward the ambiguities and ambivalences on both sides. She challenges the common, grade-school-level-view that Northernors were good and Southernors bad, inviting readers into the harsh reality of the bleak gray areas that plagued this war. At the same time, her characters are engaging and their adventures exciting, funny, and heartwarming, Hoffman makes readers love them, even when they disagree with the characters' opinions. Without this warmth to engage a reader's heart, the story could have come across as a cold history lesson. Instead, it's full of life, with a little history on the side. An enjoyable read and a refreshingly honest take on a well-worn topic."

Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Discoveries)

"Writing with a novelist's panache and an historian's command of both context and detail, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman has written a stirring tale of diplomacy and intrigue in America's most precarious hour. Telling the story of Charles Francis Adams, scion of the fabled Massachusetts Adamses and Abraham Lincoln's Ambassador to the Court of St. James, In the Lion's Den is a compelling read and masterful history as well."

David Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize Winner and author of Freedom From Fear

"...south of the Mason-Dixon line, or north, Hoffman's novel is a must read."

Brian Balogh, University of Virginia and co-host of the
syndicated public radio show Backstory with the American History Guys