The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932-1972 is a 1400-page social
history by William Manchester. Sometimes sold as two volumes, it describes the history of
the United States between 1932 and 1972. The Glory and the Dream was listed as a New York
Times bestseller in 1975.

The book details both social history and political machinations
in the period with a focus on how the New Deal, the Second World War and the Cold War
influenced American culture.

Special attention is paid to Roosevelt's New Deal
and the lasting effect it has had on the U.S. government. Manchester simplifies the
complex political maneuvers and opaque terminology that pervaded Cold War politics
to more accessible language.

The book's title is taken from William Wordsworth's poem

"Ode: Intimations of Immortality":

"Whither is fled the visionary gleam?
Where is it now, the glory and the dream?"