America, Empire of Liberty

Max Hastings reviewing the book for The Times said "Journalism takes over from history in the last pages of the book. But that is a quibble ... This is the best single-volume account of the world's greatest society for many years."[6] The Guardian reviewed it as 'book of the week' and DD Guttenplan called it "a timely but flawed book" saying "on the topics I know a bit about, Reynolds is often unreliable. Finally, Reynolds is just cloth-eared when it comes to American culture."[7]

In The Independent Frank McLynn said "readable, never dull, full of anecdotes, mini-biographies and arresting juxtapositions [...] but as a general overview of US history, Reynolds's book is chock-full of faults",[8] The Daily Telegraph's Alan Marshall said "Reynolds mostly succeeds in incorporating unfamiliar detail from the archives of ordinary life without losing his narrative thread. He has an enthralling tale to tell and he relates it in plain lively terms. And on the whole he is right to trust the sheer wealth of the material, familiar as its broad outline is, to hold us in its power unadorned."[9] The Financial Times' Edward Luce said "It is to Reynolds’ great credit that his book helps make sense not just of America but also of the Bushes. Now is a good time to read it."[10] "Let us not mince words," observed historian Joseph Ellis in The National Interest. "In my judgment, this is the best one-volume history of the United States ever written."[11]

A second edition of the book, with the same title but the words "Revised and Updated" on the cover, was released on May 25, 2021. It covers events up to and including the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]