Book excerpt: Matrix methods provide the key to many problems in pure and applied mathematics. However, linear algebra theory, numerical algorithms and matrices in FEM/BEM applications usually live as if in three separate worlds. In this volume, maybe for the first time ever, they are compiled together as one entity as it was at the Moscow meeting, where the algebraic part was impersonated by Hans Schneider, algorithms by Gene Golub, and applications by Guri Marchuk. All topics intervened in plenary sessions are specially categorized into three sections of this volume. --