Historians and philosophers alike have pondered the crucial turning points of history-events that forever altered the course of civilization, and set the stage for the world in which we live today. In these essays, some of the most respected minds of our time ask the question "What If..."
George Washington had never made his miraculous escape from the British on Long Island in the dawn of August 29, 1776? A Confederate aide hadn't accidentally lost General Robert E. Lee's plans for invading the North? Alexander the Great had been slain in battle, instead of saved at the last instant by a loyal bodyguard? The Allied invasion on D-Day had failed? The Mongols had succeeded in conquering Europe?
Both fascinating and frightening, What If? offers in-depth reflections on the monumental events of the past, and amazing speculations as to what our world might be like had things gone differently in that one singular moment in time.
"Fascinating and provocative."- New York Times Book Review
"The book of the year for any history lover."-Kirkus Reviews
"Counter-factual supposes, would-haves, might-haves, could-haves, possiblys, perhapses, probablys and maybes, in all their dizzying permutations."-Time
"Consistently well-drawn, these scenarios open intellectual as well as imaginative doors."-Publishers Weekly
"Great Fun."-Entertainment Weekly
"A captivating display of historical imagination, What If? takes us through 2,500 years of close squeaks and narrow misses."-C. Vann Woodward, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University
What If? includes contributions by:
Stephen E. Ambrose Caleb Carr James Chace Theodore F. Cook, Jr. Robert Cowley Thomas Fleming David Fromkin Ira D. Gruber Victor Davis Hanson Ross Hassig Cecilia Holland Alistair Horne John Keegan Lewis H. Lapham David Clay Large David Mccullough William H. McNeill James M. Mcpherson Ted Morgan Williamson Murray Josiah Ober Robert L. O'Connell Geoffrey Parker Peter Pierson Barbara N. Porter Theodore K. Rabb Elihu Rose Stephen W. Sears Dennis E. Showalter Barry S. Strauss Arthur Waldron Tom Wicker