What if…Book of Alternative History

All About History Magazine

by All About History Magazine

History is a fascinating topic, but one aspect that really fires the imagination is asking “What if things had gone differently?” So-called ‘alternative history’ has long speculated along these lines, with the Romans wondering if they could have defeated Alexander the Great as early as 27BCE, medieval writers wishing the Crusades had been more successful, and the Victorians terrifying themselves with Napoleon’s global conquest.

In this revised edition of What if… The Book of Alternative History, experts consider what might have happened if key moments in time had gone differently, including the Nazis winning World War Two, Abraham Lincoln surviving his assassination, the Allies losing the Battle of the Atlantic, China discovering America first, and much more. Each one is complemented by astonishing artwork, photography and timelines so you can see the flashpoints where truth and fantasy diverge.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

162 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

marking this as read twice because i read both the book of alternative history volume 2 (so not even this one here lol) and the one for american history. i keep going for these because my library has them on libby and sometimes i get bored but like. the quality of these entries varies WILDLY. some were intriguing and plausible but mostly they were either barely alt-history at all and just a recounting of actual events OR just balls to the walls unhinged speculation with no base in history at all.

one of the scenarios was so bad it genuinely put me off listening to the author's history podcast, which has been on my longlist for ages now, so at least i'll have to thank this magazine for a bullet dodged i guess.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well illustrated 'bookazine' about alternative history.

Each section deals with a What if?. The usual what ifs are considered (such as the Axis winning WWII, and the Confederacy winning the American Civil War). Perhaps because its a British publication, there are a good number of sections about alternative British history, such as:

What if Charles I had won the English Civil War?
What if Queen Victoria had been assassinated?
What if the Jacobite rising had succeeded?

In each section a scholar is interviewed on how history might have played out differently. Here, there were many things I hadn't considered before. Also, some things here and there I disagree with, and some things not imagined at all. The late academic Richard Pipes was asked, what if the Bolsheviks hadn't come to power in Russia? I'm in basic agreement with his views on this. But I would also add that an alternate Russia might been been a major contributor to the Digital Revolution, perhaps having a counter-part to America's Silicon Valley. I submit that conditions for a second Silicon Valley existed, such as Russia's strengths in math and the sciences.

The last part of this publication gives an over-view of alternate history novels. This part is good. I would have liked to see short stories for recommended reading. I've read some quite good ones.

This book might give fiction writers ideas.

[Tom Flynn]

have been reading this book and really enjoy the alt-history angle of it. Even while I was reading Stephen King's 11/22/63 book and stumbled upon it's review in the back of the magazine. A real spoiler for the King book but still liked them both. My reason for the review is that I had trouble contacting the editors on a section of the What If. Page 93 on the section "what if Japan had not struck Pearl Harbor". In two parts of the real timeline and alt timeline they refer to President Eisenhower authorizing the use of the atomic bombs. When I learned history in the olden times, Ike was still a general over the European theater in 1945 and Truman was president at the time of the use of the bombs. I know it's too late to put the crap back in the goose, but ......

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A "bookazine" full of alternate history scenarios, both the major ones you'd expect (Rome never fell) and some unusual choices (what if the Ottomans joined the Allies in WWI?). The scenarios are backed up with input from historians, which occasionally gives us less fantastical but more plausible results (such as the timeline where China discovered America and... not a lot actually changes). The only nitpicks are some editing problems here and there, but those problems don't seriously detract from the experience. (B+)

[Philip Baumbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting publication. The compilers have consulted specialists for each of the what if sections. Some of them can seem a bit dry if you are not familiar with that particular piece of history but on the whole, there were some interesting speculations.

[Mark Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting subject

[NET7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great ideas and thoughts on the world that might have been from knowledgeable and qualified experts in their respective areas of history. Excellent magazine book! Definitely worth purchasing.

[Steph Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting idea on what might have been...

[Seth Petok · Rating 5 out of 5]

only if...

[Sean McQuay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either I didn't know enough about a given scenario, in which case I didn't care about the What If, or I knew too much, in which case I generally found the What Ifs silly and overly simplified.