First published 2014
Robert Cowley presents a follow-up to his acclaimed collection of historical speculation. Distinguished historians including Geoffrey Parker, Theodore K Rabb, Cecilia Holland, and Caleb Carr examine pivotal moments that could have changed everything. They tackle questions that reshape our understanding of the past. What happens if William the Conqueror fails in 1066? How does world history shift if codebreakers never crack the Enigma machine? The collection explores both monumental decisions and seemingly minor events that carried enormous consequences. One particularly striking scenario imagines Lord Halifax becoming Prime Minister instead of Winston Churchill during Britain's darkest hour. Each essay demonstrates how fragile historical outcomes really were. The historians focus on moments where different choices or chance events could have altered civilization's trajectory. Cowley curates these speculations to show readers how easily our world might have developed along entirely different paths. The book offers both entertainment and serious historical insight into the contingent nature of past events.
Genres: history, speculative-fiction, non-fiction, alternate-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: counterfactual-history, what-if
Period: 1066, World War II
450 pages · Paperback · Macmillan