The recordings that Linda Tripp surreptitiously made of her conversations with Monica Lewinsky about Lewinsky's affair with President Clinton have mesmerized the nation and are bound to become as much a part of our national consciousness as the Watergate tapes.

We've read about the scandal and the people involved - we've heard the pundits' opinions and the politicians' spins - but now we are finally able to hear two of the key participants - in their own words - and to get a glimpse of the people behind the headlines.