Epicurus, Lucretius, Hypatia, Shakespeare, Montaigne. A history of the book, 'On the Nature of Things' (de rerum natura). Thomas Jefferson had five copies in Latin as well as translations in English, French and Italian. Pretty much why the phrase "the pursuit of Happiness" is one of the three unalienable rights of humans in the US Declaration of Independence. There is so much talk today about what the other two, Life and Liberty, mean I find it's easy to forget it has equal billing. The book is recommended.