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What If?: The World's Foremost Historians Imagine What Might Have Been (What If Essays) Kindle Edition
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBerkley
- Publication dateSeptember 1, 2000
- Reading age18 years and up
- File size21215 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
So suggest some of the many first-rate contributors to this collection, which grew from a special issue of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History. One of them is classicist Josiah Ober, who suggests that if Alexander the Great had died at the age of 21 instead of 32, Greece would have been swallowed up by Persia and Rome, and the modern Western world would have a much different sensibility--and probably little idea of democratic government. Still other contributors are Stephen E. Ambrose, Caleb Carr, John Keegan, David McCullough, and James McPherson, who examine a range of scenarios populated by dozens of historical figures, including Sir Walter Raleigh, Chiang Kai-shek, Robert E. Lee, Benito Mussolini, and Themistocles. The result is a fascinating exercise in historical speculation, one that emphasizes the importance of accident and of roads not taken in the evolution of human societies across time. --Gregory McNamee
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
From Kirkus Reviews
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About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B002I1XRYU
- Publisher : Berkley (September 1, 2000)
- Publication date : September 1, 2000
- Language : English
- File size : 21215 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 418 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 0425176428
- Best Sellers Rank: #541,911 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #90 in Historical Essays (Kindle Store)
- #357 in Military Strategy History (Kindle Store)
- #1,336 in Military Strategy History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

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Dr. Stephen Ambrose was a renowned historian and acclaimed author of more than 30 books. Among his New York Times best-sellers are: Nothing Like It in the World, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, D-Day - June 6, 1944, and Undaunted Courage.He was not only a great author, but also a captivating speaker, with the unique ability to provide insight into the future by employing his profound knowledge of the past. His stories demonstrate how leaders use trust, friendship and shared experiences to work together and thrive during conflict and change. His philosophy about keeping an audience engaged is put best in his own words: "As I sit at my computer, or stand at the podium, I think of myself as sitting around the campfire after a day on the trail, telling stories that I hope will have the members of the audience, or the readers, leaning forward just a bit, wanting to know what happens next." Dr. Ambrose was a retired Boyd Professor of History at the University of New Orleans. He was the Director Emeritus of the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans, and the founder of the National D-Day Museum. He was also a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History, a member of the board of directors for American Rivers, and a member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council Board. His talents have not gone unnoticed by the film industry. Dr. Ambrose was the historical consultant for Steven Spielberg's movie Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks purchased the film rights to his books Citizen Soldiers and Band of Brothers to make the 13-hour HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. He has also participated in numerous national television programs, including ones for the History Channel and National Geographic.

Caleb Carr is an American novelist and military historian. He has worked at the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs Quarterly, MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and taught military history, including World Military History, the History of American Intelligence, and Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, at Bard College.
He was born in Manhattan, and for the majority of his life he lived on the Lower East Side of that city, spending his summers and many weekends at his family's home in Cherry Plain, New York. In 2000, he purchased his own property, known as Misery Mountain, in Cherry Plain; and in 2006 he moved there permanently.
He was educated at St. Luke's School and Friends Seminary in New York, Kenyon College, and New York University, where he gained a degree in Military and Diplomatic History.
He is the author of ten books, several of which, most notably the historical thriller The Alienist, have become international best-sellers and prize-winners, and his work has been translated into over two dozen languages. His book, The Lessons of Terror, concerned one of his non-fiction areas of specialization, terrorism, and became a controversial yet standard volume in the literature of that subject.
He has appeared before the House Joint Subcommittee on National Security, was a featured speaker at a closed-door Defense Department conference on the War on Terrorism, and made regular appearances on almost all television networks during the American invasion of Iraq.
Asked what fiction writers have influenced him the most, he includes Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Rudyard Kipling, William Gibson, and Michael Crichton.
His non-fiction influences he cites as "eclectic and too numerous to list."
Carr has also worked extensively in the theater, and in movies and televison; in the latter capacity, he spent several years in Los Angeles; his last feature script attracted Liam Neeson, John Frankenheimer, and Vittorio Storaro to sign on; when Frankenheimer suddenly and tragically died, however, the project fell apart, and Carr returned to New York.
In 2015, Paramount Television announced that it would create a series based on The Alienist for Turner Network Television (TNT), the first season to be directed by Cary Fukunaga.
He now lives with his Siberian cat, Masha. She is, he says, "very beautiful and very ferocious."
Customer reviews
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Customers find the book very interesting and great for history buffs, spec-fic fans, and history teachers. They also describe the reading experience as very well written. However, some customers feel the content is mediocre with very few mediocrity essays and scenarios.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book very interesting, well-researched, and well-written. They also say the essays are like short stories to read, and that several parts of it are fun. Customers also say that the histories are useful ways to learn history, but they have limitations.
"...These essays are well-researched and well-written...." Read more
"...; events to change history for all time or not, this is a very interesting and informative book, including a wide variety of scenarios and turning..." Read more
"...Almost every scenario was interesting and fun to read, and for the most part none of the historians got too "history" on us and bored us with..." Read more
"...It reads smoothly and it serves as a much better source of information on history than any documentary book on history I have ever read...." Read more
Customers find the book great for history buffs, spec-fic fans, and history teachers.
"...Informative and interesting history at its finest with this book." Read more
"...In the book's favor is that it does pick interesting points in history, and as I read up on them (elsewhere), I learn things...." Read more
"In this interesting book, many of the best military historians of the English language take up some of the crucial moments in history and analyze..." Read more
"...The book does provide some historical facts, but it is more of an exploration of various historians' imaginations...." Read more
Customers find the book very well written and a great read.
"...These essays are well-researched and well-written...." Read more
"This book was very well written and an easy read. I enjoyed all the various historians' essays and scenarios on their various "what if" stories...." Read more
"...It reads smoothly and it serves as a much better source of information on history than any documentary book on history I have ever read...." Read more
"...The book is well worth reading. Overall, the authors do a good job illustrating why these battles or events are so important, and one of its..." Read more
Customers find the scenarios in the book interesting.
"...this is a very interesting and informative book, including a wide variety of scenarios and turning points in history, and what might have happened..." Read more
"...Almost every scenario was interesting and fun to read, and for the most part none of the historians got too "history" on us and bored us with..." Read more
"...It is true that this book offers interesting scenarios about what might have been, but I do not think it pushes its potential to the limits...." Read more
"...good the major turning points in World History and provides very insightful alternate outcomes...." Read more
Customers find the content mediocre, tedious, and lacking appeal. They also mention that the premise is great, but most of the items read like lectures.
"...There are a very few mediocre essays/scenarios but overall, not enough to stop me from rating this a 5/5. For the most part, very well written...." Read more
"...There were still a few chapters that felt a bit tedious but I guess that goes along with having so many writers contribute to the book...." Read more
"I read one of What If?s years ago and liked it. This one do not have the same appeal on the facts chosen to be analised or writting flow." Read more
"The premise is great but most of the items read like lectures and some do not have an alternate. Was not thrilled." Read more
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One thing’s for sure: my history chops are not up to the challenge, not for something as detailed as what I had in mind! That’s okay – I’ve got plenty of other ideas where that came from. Meanwhile, I was astounded in reading What If? at just how many ways a given historical event could have turned out based on chance events – a sword or bullet that hit or missed its mark, a written order that reached or failed to reach its intended recipient, a small accident that, had it been worse, could have killed a key player before their big moment came along.
These essays are well-researched and well-written. I gained a great deal of knowledge of historical figures I’d known only by name if at all, and a good deal more knowledge of those I knew already. I’m still amazed at what a brilliant tactician George Washington was. History teachers would do well to read it to supplement their own knowledge of events, as it might help engage students in the classroom.
Admittedly, this is military history. However, it does touch on how certain events affected people’s everyday lives, and how things might have been different if certain small changes had occurred.
The essays are uniformly enjoyable and interesting. As pointed out by another reviewer, there is more describing what happened rather than speculating too far into the future on the consequences. For example, if Lee's order hadn't fallen into Union hands, the result may have been a decisive Confederate victory in 1862. The author (J.M. McPherson) only goes so far as to say this might have led to an armistice and recognition of the CSA. But he goes no farther - what would the world be like today if that had been the case? It might have been more appropriate (given the name of the book) for a little more speculation on long-term consequences.
Having said that, many (including myself) would argue that the history does not hinge directly on single events or single people. For example, if Washington had been captured on Long Island in 1776, would the American Revolution have failed? Maybe. If so, would it have have significantly altered world history? Probably not - the French Revolution would still have occurred, and the US would have achieved independence anyway (as did England's other colonies). However, it's impossible to forsee the consequences of the fall of Jerusalem in 701 BC - would Judaism have been wiped out, and therefore would Christianity and Islam never have existed? I don't think anyone would say the only difference that seige makes is the deity to which St. Paul's Basilica is dedicated.
So, whether you believe in the ability of "small" events to change history for all time or not, this is a very interesting and informative book, including a wide variety of scenarios and turning points in history, and what might have happened had the outcome been different.
Most of the historians explain what really happened first in each essay in order to help the casual reader established what is definitive fact from the proposed changes the historian is proposing to make in their counterfactual account. This helps, even us history majors do not know about all of these what ifs...and I think that's another thing I enjoyed about this book. Some of the battles were ones I am not too familiar with and it was thoroughly fun to read through the essay and learn about the battle and then about a "what if" in regards to it. Very fun and interesting stuff to say the least!
There are a very few mediocre essays/scenarios but overall, not enough to stop me from rating this a 5/5. For the most part, very well written. Some very famous historians wrote in this book such as Ambrose, Keegan, etc. Informative and interesting history at its finest with this book.
Top reviews from other countries
I had never thought about the impact of tiny changes from the Ancient world....a random outbreak of a disease or the death of one person can change so much.
The section on the Mongols was a bit scary because they were such a brutal fighting force and could have easily changed Europe into a barbaric tribal area with no great cities.
The book lost my interest a bit in the middle when there was a huge section about the American war of Independence, although maybe American history buffs would find it interesting!
You get a brief history lesson along with each counter-factual and it can help you discover periods of history to look into in more detail.
It's a shame there wasn't more about Medieval England, as that's my favourite era of history
The idea and the premise is good. But the voices and narratives are multiple, and it goes back and forth, without any context.




















