Lately, I was reading a bit about Ward Moore's classic alternate history novel Bring the Jubilee on this website such as B Munro's excellent write-up cum map (https://www.deviantart.com/quantumbranching/art/Jubilee-Bring-It-412632697) of the setting. Piqued by this, I decided to give a good reread of the work in my local public library's copy of the anthology Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century edited by Harry Turtledove. However, I found the version found there did not include some of the supposedly canonical details of the setting such as the anti-Semitism of the German Union or the fate of Japan or the name of some characters. It was only just now I've found out that the novel version is separate from the original magazine edition included in the anthology. Can someone point out to some of the other differences with the full-length work?
Additionally, I'm curious about your thoughts of the novel in general. While the setting isn't very plausible for the reasons many others have pointed out, I genuinely liked most of the characters in the work especially the protagonist Hodge Backmaker who I find eerily reminiscent of myself in many ways and the lovely Catty. I've also been considering what the long term future of the timeline would have been after 1952 if not for Backmaker's time travel journey. Going off of B Munro, I find the idea of a nationalist Populist/Grand Army regime (perhaps with the slogan "Make American Great Again!") taking over and instituting some long overdue reforms such as reducing corruption, purging foreign influence, and so forth possible. Even though the Union is tremendously behind the Confederacy, I wonder if it would be able to assert some of is natural advantages in resources and population through forced draft industrialization, natalist policies, and so forth while its Southern neighbours are distracted by rebellion in Latin America. Given the generally very conservative nature of the world, the US military might be able to pioneer some new weaponry and tactics particularly if they enlist the aid of the scholars at Haggershaven...
Additionally, I'm curious about your thoughts of the novel in general. While the setting isn't very plausible for the reasons many others have pointed out, I genuinely liked most of the characters in the work especially the protagonist Hodge Backmaker who I find eerily reminiscent of myself in many ways and the lovely Catty. I've also been considering what the long term future of the timeline would have been after 1952 if not for Backmaker's time travel journey. Going off of B Munro, I find the idea of a nationalist Populist/Grand Army regime (perhaps with the slogan "Make American Great Again!") taking over and instituting some long overdue reforms such as reducing corruption, purging foreign influence, and so forth possible. Even though the Union is tremendously behind the Confederacy, I wonder if it would be able to assert some of is natural advantages in resources and population through forced draft industrialization, natalist policies, and so forth while its Southern neighbours are distracted by rebellion in Latin America. Given the generally very conservative nature of the world, the US military might be able to pioneer some new weaponry and tactics particularly if they enlist the aid of the scholars at Haggershaven...