Historians and philosophers alike have pondered the crucial turning points of history--the events that forever altered the course of civilization a...
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reviews
Mar 13, 2011
Rick
rated it: 
Very interesting collection of counterfactuals, or hypothetical historical scenarios in which one or more parameters are changed, and possible alternate outcomes are examined. Since this is a large collection of pieces by different authors the quality and interest vary through the book, but on the whole I liked reading most of them and some were very compelling.
Some examples:
* During the Ming Dynasty China had an impressive fleet commanded by the very capable Zheng He. What More...
Some examples:
* During the Ming Dynasty China had an impressive fleet commanded by the very capable Zheng He. What More...
Jan 15, 2012
Tom
rated it:
Actually two books in one. This is a collection of essays by many well-known historians discussing the "what if's" of history. For example, what if Jesus hadn't died on the cross or D-Day had failed?
Bad things about the book...
1) it's very long (over 800 pages). My copy is hardback, which makes it even worse to carry around.
2) There are certain periods (especially WWII) that have many essays, while other periods are skipped through very quickly.
3) the essa More...
Bad things about the book...
1) it's very long (over 800 pages). My copy is hardback, which makes it even worse to carry around.
2) There are certain periods (especially WWII) that have many essays, while other periods are skipped through very quickly.
3) the essa More...
Sep 01, 2011
Michael
rated it:
Some great, some good. This is not "alternate" or "counterfactual" history. It is a collection of historical articles, mostly considering general descriptions of actual historical events and phenomena. The "What if" part is usually brief, and serves to highlight specific aspects of the history that the author considers to have been crucial to the way the history actually did unfold. No submachinguns are delivered to Confederates here.
The best article w More...
The best article w More...
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Jun 22, 2011
Keith
rated it: 
Great collection of essays by prominent historians that look at alternative, or in the parlance of the historian counterfactual, history. Some of it is scary, such as the prospect of Europe as conquered by the Mongols (which was in fact more likely to have happened than not), some of it amusing (such as when Robert E. Lee's army holds fast on Cemetery Ridge outside Gettysburg following the victory at Antietam. I've never before considered the Franco Prussian War to be the single most important e
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Nov 23, 2011
Josh
rated it: 
I read this piecemeal through the year - a story here and a story there. Since they're all different this works fine.
This is a big 800 page book combining "What If?" and "What If? 2" into a single volume. The book is a collection of essays on speculative history: the result if things might've gone differently. The first book was purely military; the second delves into some non-military what if's.
There are some real good essays and some real good authors More...
This is a big 800 page book combining "What If?" and "What If? 2" into a single volume. The book is a collection of essays on speculative history: the result if things might've gone differently. The first book was purely military; the second delves into some non-military what if's.
There are some real good essays and some real good authors More...
Aug 27, 2010
Adrienne
rated it:
I've always been interested in history, and once I found the alternate history genre, it opened a whole new imaginative world for me. Thinking about how the quirks of history have caused things to turn out a certain way, and trying to figure out what would have happened if people had made different choices can be fun, harmless exercises. Sometimes they allow a greater understanding of the events in question. At least, that's the premise behind the two volumes in What If? Eminent Historians Imagi
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Aug 18, 2011
Rick
rated it:
Reading the thoughts of actual historians on what might have been is extremely enjoyable. Of course they can't all be gems, but there are far more hits than misses in this excellent collection. We often think historic events had to turn out as they did, but this book shows how often a minor action could have completely changed a significant outcome. It also reminds us that many times winning one additional battle would not have changed the course of an entire war. The degree to which the aut
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May 25, 2008
Jason
rated it:
This was a fascinating book. What was great was that it not only provided alternate ideas to history, but it also gave a great background on those historical episodes as well, so I learned a lot about world history even as I got to enjoy the "what if" scenarios of an imagined different history. The first volume was a little bit harder to wade through as it was strictly military history, but the second volume expanded to a multitude of scenarios such as if Pope Pius XII had publicly d
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Feb 03, 2011
Allison
rated it:
A great collection of well-written essays, and a fresh way to learn about significant (though sometimes less known) historical moments. Helps one remember how little control mankind has over the outcome of major events and how much we really do rely on, what one might call, miracle or grace.
Mar 19, 2009
Kevin
rated it: 
Quite boring. I had the wrong impression of what it was going to be like. It talked about how and where things could have been different during the conflicts given. I was wanting more of the what the after affects would be like years, decades, centuries down the line.
Jan 04, 2009
Molly
rated it:
This is a fascinating series (Books 1 & 2) that explores the idea behind "what if" one or two events in the course of an historical event didn't unfold the way we understood them to? How would it have changed the course of that decade, that culture, that country, or the resulting events aftward?
Dec 13, 2011
Tom
rated it:
As I might have expected from an anthology, my enjoyment of the articles in this large anthology varied depending on the topic and even moreso the author. I enjoyed the articles by historians whose work I already knew and admired (Thomas Fleming, David McCullough, e.g) and a few others were also interesting and informative (What if Robert E. Lee's Lost Order hadn't been lost?) thought-provoking (What if Pontius Pilate spared Jesus?), or just fun to think about (What if Churchill had been killed
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Oct 11, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
A book of Historical Counterfactuals often with multiple historians looking at the same historical events. Thought provoking.
Sep 16, 2011
Jeremy
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This was a very interesting book. I thought it a great way to learn a good deal of history on many different subjects. More and more I'm discovering that history is very intriguing to me, and maybe that's part of why I liked it. It is very long, so I would recommend reading subsets of the book at a time, and not all of the chapters were equally compelling, but the majority of them were engaging and informative.
Mar 07, 2011
Kirk
rated it:
An interesting review of particular historical periods with insight into details I was unaware of in many cases.
However, fell short of fully developing a good counterfactual narrative in almost all of essays.
However, fell short of fully developing a good counterfactual narrative in almost all of essays.
Aug 06, 2009
Louis
rated it:
A collection of historical counterfactuals which I found quite interesting but felt they spent more time of what really happened than on what could have happened.Slightly disappointed in that reagard and felt they spent too much time on the World Wars and not enough on other subjects I would have like to have seen covered.Recommended to any history buffs out there.
Sep 01, 2007
Irma
rated it:
Interesting collection of essays on the counterfactual-- I find it fascinating to learn how great historical events can sometimes hinge on small accidents/split-second decisions. Historians like Stephen E. Ambrose, Caleb Carr and others, offer up plausible alternatives to historical events we all learned about in school.
Jun 12, 2008
Steve
rated it:
I am still reading this book. It is like 900 pages, and I will be reading it off and on for a while. However, It is a very interesting book. It takes a moment in history and discusses what might have happened if. . . It is a collection of essay's and covers all of history. I find it fascinating.
Dec 09, 2011
Jonathon
rated it:
So far, So good! THis is exactly the type of history book i've been searching for...on that bridges the gap between academia and leasurely reading.
Jun 04, 2008
Hey Laine! Guess what? I found this on my shelves! Remember when you told me about this book that day at lunch? Well, I had it all along! It looks really good too! Thanks for the tip!
Mar 15, 2008
James
rated it:
Great read! Everything we were never taught in public education history courses. Coupled with the context of Howard Zinn's People's History, I love how history has nothing to do with God. LOL
Mar 22, 2010
Ron
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Interesting speculation oh how changes in history could make a large or small difference in history. As with any collection, some selections are better written or more interesting.
Apr 07, 2008
David
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What if history had been different. Sounds like a fun idea, most of the scenarios backfire
Jan 31, 2008
Stephen
rated it:
Very good book about what could have happened in several historical events.
