Volume 1, Merchants and Masterpieces, profiles the benefactors whose money, vision, and priceless collections built the museum into one of the greatest art institutions in the United States. This volume includes rare archival footage, location photography, and a look behind the art in search of the people who originally collected and lived with these works. Volume 2, Masterpieces of the Met, shows what makes the Met such an incredible museum: the artwork. This volume displays diverse works, from ancient Egyptian relics to Jackson Pollock's Autumn Rhythm, from Monet's Terrace at Sainte-Adresse to Pompeiian frescoes, from modern cubism to Rembrandt's mesmerizing self-portrait. De Montebello's knowledgeable commentary describes the importance of the pieces in the world of art, their place in history, and their importance to the Met. In volume 3, Glories of Medieval Art: The Cloisters, the tour continues on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the branch dedicated to art of the Middle Ages. On display amid medieval gardens and Gothic architecture are the famed collection of Unicorn Tapestries, Robert Campin's Annunciation Altarpiece, and the unique stained glass windows of the Cloisters.

If you can't get to the Met, In Celebration: 125 Years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the perfect way to whet your aesthetic appetite for great art. --Rob Bracco