An increasing interest to scheduling theory can be attributed to the high level of automation of all branches of human activity. The quality of modern production essentially depends on the planning decisions taken at different stages of a production process. Moreover, while the quality of these decisions is improving, the time and flexibility requirements for decision-making are becoming more important. All this stimulates scheduling research. Started as an independent discipline in the early fifties, it now has become an important branch of operations research. In the eighties, the largest Russian publishing house for scientific literature Nauka Publishers, Moscow, issued two books by a group of Byelorussian mathematicians: Scheduling Theory. Single-Stage Systems by V. S. Tanaev, V. S. Gordon and Y. M. Shafransky (1984) and Scheduling Theory. Multi-Stage Systems by V. S. Tanaev, Y. N. Sotskov and V. A. Strusevich (1989). Originally published in Russian, these two books cover two different major problem areas of scheduling theory and can be considered as a two-volume monograph that provides a systematic and comprehensive exposition of the subject. The authors are grateful to Kluwer Academic Publishers for creating the opportunity to publish the English translations of these two books. We are indebted to M. Hazewinkel, J. K. Lenstra, A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan, D. B. Shmoys and W. Szwarc for their supporting the idea of translating the books into English.

Zusammenfassung
In the eighties, the largest Russian publishing house for scientific literature Nauka Publishers, Moscow, issued two books by a group of Byelorussian mathematicians: Scheduling Theory.

Inhalt
1 Flow Shop.- 1. Maximal Completion Time. Two Machines.- 2. Maximal Completion Time. Three and More Machines.- 3. Maximal Completion Time with No-Wait in Process.- 4. Maximal Lateness.- 5. Total Flow Time.- 6. Ordered Matrices of Processing Times.- 7. Dominant Matrices of Processing Times.- 8. Approximation Algorithms.- 9. Bibliography and Review.- 2 Job Shop.- 1. Optimal Processing of Two Jobs.- 2. Maximal Lateness.- 3. Maximal Completion Time. Equal Processing Times.- 4. Maximal Completion Time. Arbitrary Processing Times.- 5. Maximal Completion Time with No-Wait in Process.- 6. Bibliography and Review.- 3 Open Shop.- 1. Maximal Completion Time. Two Machines.- 2. Maximal Completion Time. Three and More Machines.- 3. Maximal Completion Time. Preemption.- 4. Maximal Completion Time. Precedence Constraints.- 5. Due Dates.- 6. Total Flow Time. Equal Processing Times.- 7. Total Flow Time. Arbitrary Processing Times.- 8. Bibliography and Review.- 4 Mixed Graph Problems.- 1. Network Representation of Processing Systems.- 2. Mixed Graphs.- 3. Branch-and-Bound Method.- 4. Optimization of Processing Systems.- 5. Stability of Optimal Schedules.- 6. Bibliography and Review.- References.- Additional References.- Also of interest.