Since its inception in 1970, NPR has “always put the listener first” — a mission not always friction-free at times of political turmoil, government overregulation and divided public opinion. This year, the iconic public broadcaster celebrates its 40th anniversary with This Is NPR: The First Forty Years, a beautifully designed anthology of behind-the-scenes photos, essays and original reporting, and NPR: The First Forty Years, a companion 4-CD compilation featuring some of the most memorable moments from 40 years of news, culture, conversation and commentary. (A thematic continuation of the wonderful All Facts Considered compendium by NPR’s lovable librarian, which we featured earlier this week.)

We were ambitious from the beginning. We started literally almost on shoestrings, tin cans and strings. A handful of five reporters, almost no resources and this tiny number of stations. But we knew we were into something that was going to be very important.”

The book covers historical milestones of all kinds, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11 to Obama’s election, and the audio compilation features exclusive commentaries and reflections by some of NPR’s greatest icons, Susan Stamberg, Robert Siegel, Scott Simon, Daniel Schorr, Noah Adams, Cokie Roberts and David Sedaris.

Together, the anniversary duo is a priceless timecapsule of seminal journalism and cultural curation at its finest — we couldn’t recommend it more.