History in the subjunctive. This volume invites readers to engage in a thought experiment of historical imagination. What would have happened if Hitler had died in 1938, if the German Peasants' War of 1525 had been successful? What if Pontius Pilate had pardoned Jesus, or if Hannibal had marched on Rome after his victory at Cannae? Such questions remain unusual even today and are still considered far-fetched by many. Historians explore what was. However, this treatise demonstrates how fruitful considerations of unrealized possibilities can be. Critically examining and carefully weighing, Alexander Demandt develops rules for contemplating unwritten history, which ultimately serves to enhance our understanding of recorded history. He shows that our image of history remains incomplete if it is not placed within the context of unrealized possibilities. His work has lost none of its relevance even today.