The first volume of this two part series is concerned with the fundamental aspects of relativistic quantum theory, outlining the enormous progress made in the last twenty years in this field. The aim was to create a book such that researchers who become interested in this exciting new field find it useful as a textbook, and do not have to rely on a rather large number of specialized papers published in this area. ?· No title is currently available that deals with new developments in relativistic quantum electronic structure theory ?· Interesting and relevant to graduate students in chemistry and physics as well as to all researchers in the field of quantum chemistry ?· As treatment of heavy elements becomes more important, there will be a constant demand for this title