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If It Had Happened Otherwise

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Alternate history essays written by Winson Churchill, Emil Ludwig, Andre Maurois, G.K. Chesterton, Harold Nicolson, Ronald Knox, H.A.L. Fisher, J.C. Aquire, Hilaire Belloc, Philip Guedalla, Milton Waldman, Charles Petrie, G.M. Trevelyan, and A.J.P. Taylor.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

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About the author

J.C. Squire

179 books14 followers
Sir John Collings Squire was a British poet, writer, historian, and influential literary editor of the post-World War I period. His writings mostly discuss common experiences.

Born in Plymouth, he was educated at Blundell's School and St. John's College, Cambridge. He was one of those published in the Georgian poetry collections of Edward Marsh. His own Selections from Modern Poets anthology series, launched in 1921, became definitive of the conservative style of Georgian poetry.

He began reviewing for The New Age; through his wife he had met Alfred Orage. His literary reputation was first made by a flair for parody, in a column, "Imaginary Speeches," in The New Age from 1909.

His poetry from World War I was satirical; at the time he was reviewing for the New Statesman, using the name Solomon Eagle (taken from a Quaker of the seventeenth century). One of his reviews from 1915 was of The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence. Squire had been appointed literary editor when the New Statesman was set up in 1912; he was noted as an adept and quick journalist, at ease with contributing to all parts of the journal. He was acting editor in 1917–18, when Clifford Sharp was in the British Army, and more than competently sustained the periodical. When the war ended he found himself with a network of friends and backers, controlling a substantial part of London's literary press.

From 1919 to 1934, Squire was the editor of the monthly periodical, the London Mercury. It showcased the work of the Georgian poets and was an important outlet for new writers. Alec Waugh described the elements of Squire's 'hegemony' as acquired largely by accident, consequent on his rejection for military service for bad sight. Squire's natural persona was of a beer-drinking, cricketing West Countryman; his literary cricket XI, the Invalids, were immortalised in A. G. Macdonell's England, Their England, with Squire as Mr. William Hodge, editor of the London Weekly. In July 1927 Squire became an early radio commentator on Wimbledon.

In his book If It Had Happened Otherwise (1931), he collected a series of essays, many of which could be considered alternative histories, from some of the leading historians of the period (Hilaire Belloc, Winston Churchill); in America it was published that same year in somewhat different form under the title If: or, History Rewritten.

Squire was knighted in 1933, and after leaving the London Mercury in 1934, he became a reader for Macmillan, the publishers; in 1937, he became a reviewer for the Illustrated London News.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
39 reviews
July 21, 2025

If, or History Rewritten, edited by JC Squire, 1931 379pp, is a collection (maybe the first such) of 11 counterfactuals:

Introduction by JC Squire describes the concept of alternate history, and notes some of the ones in this anthology are good guesses about what could have happened, others being more fanciful.

If the Moors in Spain Had Won by Philip Guedalla presents a series of historical documents showing how Granada being a separate Moorish kingdom to Spain, The independent Granada is entirely plausible, however the subsequent success story sounds optimistic.

If Don Juan of Austria Had Married Mary Queen of Scots by GK Chesterton, who starts with a talk on love stories and Genesis. Mary had several suitors, and although Don Juan was not one of them (but Chesterton mentions a quote that he intended to carry her off), he could easily have been. Don Juan marrying Mary, though unlikely, was not impossible and would certainly helped Mary’s cause and opposed Turkish interests,

If the Dutch Had Kept Nieuw Amsterdam by Hendrik Wilhelm Van Loon suggests it could have remained independent until the 19th century On the whole, it seems unlikely to have remained independent so long as suggested here, but then there wouldn’t be a story to narrate, and he wouldn’t be able to make his comments on Prohibition and the right to drink alcohol.

If Louis XVI Had Had an Atom of Firmness by Andre Maurois, says he could have implemented Turgot’s proposed reforms, had he stood up to Marie Antionette’s opposition. Well-thought out, detailed, and not too implausible – if Louis continued to back Turgot.

If Drouet’s Cart Had Stuck (by Hilaire Belloc) then Louis XVI would have escaped in 1791, the French monarchy survived and the revolution put down. All related in a series of articles and letters. Detailed and generally plausible,

If Napoleon Had Escaped to America (by HAL Fisher) he could have been a popular figure there, espousing revolution and independence for Spanish possessions. It’s reasonable to suppose Napoleon and his ideals could have influenced events in South America had he escaped, but the outcome given here seems very speculative.

If Byron Had Become King of Greece by Harold Nicolson reviews the memoirs of the Duke of Negroponte. The main contention here is that Byron may have changed from experience had he survived, and his reputation become quite different.

If Lee Had Not Won the Battle of Gettysburg by Winston S Churchill is written as a counter-counter-factual; in the counter-factual world, Lee went on from winning Gettysburg to take Washington. The author’s contention that Lee would have had to do more to win the American civil war than take Washington is reasonable, and he had the standing to make the policy suggested, however implausible, and it may well have had the desired effect of successful secession.

If Booth Had Missed Lincoln by Milton Waldman is written as a hostile review of “Lincoln – A Vindication”. The author’s contentions are not unreasonable, and it is an interesting reminder that Lincoln need not have been regarded as the great American icon that he is.

If the Emperor Frederick Had Not Had Cancer (by Emil Ludwig) he could have ruled Germany for many years. The author’s contentions seem roseate, but Frederick would have been liberal and un-warlike; Germany and Europe would certainly have been very different with Frederick as Kaiser.

If It Had Been Discovered in 1930 That Bacon Really Did Write Shakespeare (by JC Squire) This is an amusing conceit and a satire on those promoting the theory of Bacon writing Shakespeare; although given the importance of these figures, proving such a theory would indeed create upheaval in some quarters.

Overall, these alternate histories all demonstrate how they could have occurred, and follow through the consequences, and in a way that is difficult to represent in a short story of equivalent length. Some are related through historical documents or letters, one by looking at the alternate history records held in Heaven, others as histories or reviews of histories, and one speculating on our history from the alternate view. So there is story in these, often working better than straight fiction. The subjects naturally represent the concerns of the time and the views of the authors, although they concern historical events that remain important and are still food for thought.

Profile Image for Giorgio Giuliani.
47 reviews
April 23, 2016
This books gives an alternative perspective on what story might have been if something so small had happened otherwise. It reminds us how small differences in many cases drive to huge impacts on the long run.
Profile Image for Aingeal Stone.
463 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2021
Alt-histories are a fascinating genre and I am currently researching to write an alt-history based on the hypothesis: what if Henry VII had married Katherine of Aragon after the death of Queen Elizabeth? This anthology is fascinating, and I would love to own a copy, unfortunately it is out of print and used copies sell for over $200.
Profile Image for Michael Smith.
1,912 reviews66 followers
November 3, 2014
Yes, Virginia, there was alternate history before Turtledove. I acquired this volume at a used bookstore in high school, back around 1960, and it’s what made me a lifelong fan of “what if” speculative writing. As the Introduction says, “There is no action or event, great or small, . . . which might not have happened differently, and, happening differently, have perhaps modified the world’s history for all time.” The eleven contributors include some of the leading literary lights of the time: G. K. Chesterton (on the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots), Hendrik Van Loon (the Dutch hang on to New Amsterdam), Andre Maurois (Louis XVI didn’t panic), Hilaire Belloc (Louis XVI again, but this time he escaped to England), Harold Nicolson (Byron becomes king of Greece), Winston S. Churchill (the American novelist, that is, on Lee not winning at Gettysburg -- yes, a double twist), and Emil Ludwig (Frederick the Great survives to old age). A couple other authors, now long forgotten, consider the Moors retaining Spain, Napoleon escaping to America after Waterloo, and Booth missing his shot at Lincoln (a what-if that has seen relatively heavy use compared to most others in this book). Squire himself proposes that Francis Bacon is proved to have written the plays of Shakespeare, and what that entails for Bacon’s own literary efforts.

If asked to propose a what-if, most of us would probably first posit that the South won the Civil War or that Germany won World War II. The latter was not available when this volume was put together, obviously, but those two alternatives do account, in one form or another, for a large proportion of alternative history fiction. Which is why, given my strong background in history, I have always enjoyed rereading the essays in this volume; they aren’t retreads of the same old ideas. And, given the general quality of the contributors, all of them are very much worth the reading. While it has been reprinted several times, this book nevertheless has been out of print for more than forty years and I wish someone would pick it up again.
Profile Image for Matt Kuhns.
Author 4 books10 followers
December 1, 2012
An anthology of counterfactual histories, or “what if” stories, mostly with a focus on European events between the Rennaissance and early 20th century. Most are largely reactionary in theme and outlook, many taking the form of “what if such-and-such defunct dynasty had avoided the particular unfortunate accident which cut short their reign” and concluding that things would be gloriously better for it.

Among some novel exceptions, I quite enjoyed the amusing exploration of “what if it had been discovered that Sir Francis Bacon really did write Shakespeare’s works.” This witty entry was in marked contrast with the rather appalling attempted-satire on “what if the General Strike had succeeded” which posited a 1984-style dictatorship in Britain as the consequence of authorities’ failure to crush labo(u)r’s protest. Right, smashing, "yaaaay capitalism."

For sheer lunacy, though, Winston Spencer Churchill’s entry takes the cake.

Uh… W. T. F? I have charitably elected to assume that Winnie came up with this one while drunk.
Profile Image for Amarilli.
160 reviews24 followers
January 26, 2011
Sono rimasta un po' delusa da questo libro, ma per colpa mia, mi aspettavo dei saggi più che dei racconti ucronici. Nel complesso l'opera è interessante e a tratti anche divertente, è un po' difficile apprezzare l'inventiva degli autori quando si tratta di fatti storici che per noi sono remoti o di secondo piano.

Visto che io l'avrei trovato utile per decidere l'acquisto del libro, riporto l'elenco delle ucronie trattate:

1. Se in Spagna avessero vinto i mori
2. Se Don Giovanni d'Austria avesse sposato Maria Stuarda di Scozia
3. Se Luigi XVI avesse avuto un po' di fermezza
4. Se il carretto di Drouet si fosse bloccato
5. Se Napoleone fosse fuggito in America
6. Se Byron fosse diventato re di Grecia
7. Se Lee non avesse vinto la battaglia di Gettysburg
8. Se Booth avesse mancato Lincoln
9. Se l'Imperatore Federico III non si fosse ammalato di cancro
10. Se nel 1930 si fosse scoperto che Bacone aveva davvero scritto le opere di Shakespeare
11. Se lo sciopero generale del 1926 avesse avuto successo e la Gran Bretagna fosse diventata socialista
12. Un sogno giacobita
13. Se Napoleone avesse vinto la battaglia di Waterloo
14. Se l'arciduca Ferdinando non avesse amato sua moglie

Profile Image for Larry-bob Roberts.
Author 1 book96 followers
September 22, 2012
Fairly interesting alternate-history essays by a variety of writers; originally published in the 1930s. Sir John Squire comes up with an amusing twist on "If it had been discovered in 1930 that Bacon really did write Shakespeare." There are some experiments in form, such as entries from an alternative-world Baedeker in "If the Moors in Spain had won" by Philip Guedalla and pages from newspapers in "If the General Strike had succeeded" by Rev. Dr. Ronald Knox which includes some odd articles apparently off the topic such as the essay "Pigs as Water-Finders" ("Meanwhile, it seems that this particular dowser-pig has been born on the wrong side of the Atlantic. Water, we understand, is not what our American cousins cry out for: they have all too much of it. The animal, alas, like all animals, is bound down by the terms of Nature's eighteenth amendment: and it is doubtful whether even a peach-fed ham would be sagacious enough to unearth a cache of buried whisky."
Profile Image for James S. .
1,367 reviews16 followers
May 3, 2019
The essays are of varying quality, but in general they all share a certain lack of imagination. I got the feeling that most of the authors were just pushing an agenda. In this regard, the essays by Chesterton and Churchill were particularly awful.
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