The world we know today was founded in the 19th century. Many of the countries in existence, our knowledge of the world and the technology we are familiar with came during this century of change. In the second edition of this popular ‘what if?’ book from Alexander Rooksmoor, he looks at how things could have turned out differently for the 19th century if history had gone down different turns at a variety of points.

The book starts with the industrial revolution and reaches up to the end of the 19th century. He considers a different career path for Napoleon Bonaparte and the vast impact this would have meant for Europe and the rest of the world. Assassinations of Napoleon III, Queen Victoria and King Edward VII are considered and conversely, a longer reign for Kaiser Friedrich III. The derailing of the processes of German and Italian unification and the creation of Belgium are looked at in terms of their local and international impacts. The book investigates different outcomes for conflicts such as whether the Taiping Rebellion could have succeeded and what would have happened in the event of an Anglo-Russian War of 1878.

The second edition includes four different chapters to the first edition covering topics as diverse as the opening of Japan, the conquest of Afghanistan, the early break-up of the Austrian Empire and a successful coup d'état in 1880s France.

NOTE: 'Down Other Tracks' DOES NOT contain stories. It has chapters analysing different potential outcomes in history. It is closest in style to the ‘what if?’ collections edited by Peter Tsouras, Robert Crowley, Duncan Brack, Niall Ferguson and Andrew Roberts. It is suggested that you check them out if you are uncertain whether this one is the sort of book you are looking for.

As with Alexander Rooksmoor’s previous books, this is bound to appeal to anyone with an interest in how our world has turned out the way it did and to all of those who wonder how different it could have been.

Alexander Rooksmoor is the author of a range of books looking at alternatives in history. His publications draw on his twenty years’ experience in researching and teaching history and in exploring and discussing a whole range of ‘what if?’s. Rather than seeking to provide an in-depth history text book about what happened, Alexander seeks to stimulate debate on how things may have been different.