Just a few words. This is one of the most essential collections in jazz. So much has been said about the wonderful music here that there is really nothing else I can add. The packaging, however....Great book! The CDs, though, are tightly packed in cheap cardboard slipcases in the cover. The CDs are guaranteed to get scratched as you sweat and struggle to remove them. You can do one of three things: Place the CDs in standard jewel cases, make backup copies, or both (like I did). This is too great an investment to needless damage the CDs just by taking them out of the package.