JJ - I'm in sunny Stockport-sur-mer (har-de-har), near Manc.moth wroteWhat he said, you may actually learn something tooErrrrrm....I asked about alternate reality stuff.If i'd wanted real history stuff - I'd have asked.I read both fiction and non-fiction, and get a different pleasure out of both. When I want advice on actual history books - I'll ask. (and, oddly, reading the alternate history books - like the Turtledove books - you DO learn quite a bit - it has a thorough basis in actual history. Try reading some fiction - YOU may learn something )Fair enough?

rainmaker]JJ - I'm in sunny Stockport-sur-mer (har-de-har), near Manc. Errrrrm....I asked about alternate reality stuff. If i'd wanted real history stuff - I'd have asked. I read both fiction and non-fiction, and get a different pleasure out of both. When I want advice on actual history books - I'll ask. (and, oddly, reading the alternate history books - like the Turtledove books - you DO learn quite a bit - it has a thorough basis in actual history. Try reading some fiction - YOU may learn something wrote Fair enough, I read plenty of fiction ta; zzzzzzzzakkk for a start I can recommend these [QUOTE=scudbutt]there's a couple of books by Robert Cowley called 'What if?' & surprisingly 'More what if?'.These books cover war,individual deaths,peace making etc going back from modern times to thousands of years ago. ...The TV series kwik mentions was based on the books and Virtual History by Niall Ferguson, they're all counterfactual rather than alternate IYSWIM

Why not read the real stuff? It's just as good and almost as unbelievable (except that you know it happened)I'm currently reading W.S.Churchill's History of WW2 - just started the second volume - fascinating stuff, the inside story.

ANOTHER! book thread.Just finished a set of alternative history books. Have read one a while ago where someone goes back in time, ensures Hitler is never born, and then returns to his own time to find a cleverer Geeeerman had actually won WWII.Anyone recommend any good AH books?tbh, don't really know where to start looking.Well, apart from a library. But they don't have an"alternative history" section

JJ - that's WWII/lizards series was the one I read recently - is the Great War series better/worse?I enjoyed 'em, but I'm not a huge fan of Turtledoves penmanship/style/je ne sais quoiAnd the killing Hitler book was Making History by Stephen Fry - excellent read

Big_Daddy wroteWhy not read the real stuff? It's just as good and almost as unbelievable (except that you know it happened) I'm currently reading W.S.Churchill's History of WW2 - just started the second volume - fascinating stuff, the inside story. What he said, you may actually learn something too

Quote:Originally Posted by kwikThere was a series of programmes on once, called What If? asking what if this or that had/hadn't happened in our history. One was about Boudicca (sp) and if she had won over the Romans, we could be an Arab state now I missed the programme and still wonder how we would be...there's a couple of books by Robert Cowley called 'What if?' & surprisingly 'More what if?'.These books cover war,individual deaths,peace making etc going back from modern times to thousands of years ago.a few questions raised for example are:-What if Lenin was too late for the Russian revolution?What if the Chinese had found America 500 years before Columbus?What if Pilate had freed Jesus?William doesn't conquer at Hastings?No atom bomb for Japan?Enigma unbroken?Both books have theories from leading world historians is well written & easy to read.hope this helps.