This edition, first published by BCP in 1984, is designed - with its extensive annotation and vocabulary - to provide all the help required by the comparative beginner in Latin who is coming to Lucretius for the first time. At the same time the Introduction and Commentary are full enough to incorporate material of interest to the Lucretian specialist. The first book of Lucretius claims attention not only on the strength of the famous introduction to the whole poem but because its treatment of atoms and void provides the fundamental basis on which the remaining books depend. The edition balances understanding of the philosophical subject matter with appreciation of the poetry.