one of those rare, stream-of-consciousness listening experiences that takes you to that quiet place inside yourself. The playful, provocative, effortless romance of Jobim makes this a must-have for your collection. My first experience with it was on a 3 and 1/2 hour road trip, driving in the rain alone. The time seemed to pass in minutes. Having arrived at my destination, I was tempted to turn around and go back, just to extend the moment. The booklet, the interviews, even the unique wrappers around each CD were obviously done by someone in love with the man and his music. This box set wasn't created to make money but to honor the life-work of a master. Please don't let the price slow you down. This collection is extraordinary in every way.

Bossa nova is probably one of the most amazing musical genres out there. It is timeless and priceless (so don't care about the big price tag on this cd) because it will continue to give you more and more pleasure. This 3 disc "book" set serves up quite a nice portion of classic Jobim songs sung by himself along with his collaborators such as Joao Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, and Elis Regina and Stan Getz on sax. Disc 1 is probably the most listenable in one sitting since there are 23 different beautiful songs. Disc 2 is good to put on when you're doing some cleaning. Disc 3 is great because you get to see how different singers add different elements to the same song. Whether you're a new or old fan of bossa nova, you need to add this to your collection.

Not only is this the best collection of Jobim's endlessly gratifying music, it's one of the most beautiful CD packages ever put together. In an age where most CD's are hastily thrown into poorly designed cases, this is truly a collector's item -- each CD paper sleeve is cut into fish and other shapes for their respective CD's. The liner notes are great, you'll find out everything about Jobim's recording and life -- they just don't make them like this anymore. And did I mention that the music is positively mind-altering? Order this immediately, wait for a rainy day, sit down on your coach and spin all three CD's. Time will fly by and you will emerge purified.

This is truly a magnificent collection. Others have mentioned the cool packaging but it's the music that's, by turns, sad, beautiful, and uplifting. It's a great way to get to know "Tom" Jobim and his wonderful collaborators, especially Elis Regina, a magnificent vocalist - I'd pay the full price just for their two renditions of Aguas de Marco (Waters of March) - the studio outake is wonderful.

I finally took these CDs out of my car CD player to keep me from "overlistening" to them and ruining future enjoyment.

Wonderful.

This was my first Antonio Carlos Jobim album, in fact it was my first real Bossa Nova album (its not exactly an album, but my first Brazilian Jazz CD anyhow). After this one I've heard and bought some other Bossa Nova albums by the Gilberto pair and Jobim himself only to find out that most of the songs were already present in this collection.

Let me tell you one thing, this collection is a must if you like this genre. If you're a hardcore fan, you'll surely want more, but this contains all the essencials from Jobim and Joao Gilberto, and much much more.

The first disc is simply the "big hits" (if it may be called so) of Jobim and company (featuring Stan Getz on many).

The second disc has the best cuts of Jobim's solo works "Tide" and "Wave". I've bought both seperately, they are both amazing, and this one simply has the finest cuts out of them. These cuts are so beautiful and emotional that surely words cannot express them. The former reviewer who said this disc was nice listening to while doing some housework hasn't obviously given this any serious listening.

The third disc has many rare versions of famous Jobim works, and in addition to that some of those works in their original forms such as Desafinado, Corcovado and Vivo Sonhando. I believe this disc would be of most interest to serious fans of the genre.

All in all, this is a great collection, and should be sufficient for most people since it really captivates the best moments of Jobim in particular and Bossa Nova in general.

A best buy in my opinion for anyone who likes this genre, ranging from amatuer to serious listeners.