This book is an introduction to the theory of linear one-dimensional
singular integral equations. It is essentually a graduate textbook.
Singular integral equations have attracted more and more attention,
because, on one hand, this class of equations appears in many
applications and, on the other, it is one of a few classes of equations
which can be solved in explicit form. In this book material of the
monograph [2] of the authors on one-dimensional singular integral
operators is widely used. This monograph appeared in 1973 in Russian and
later in German translation [3]. In the final text version the authors
included many addenda and changes which have in essence changed
character, structure and contents of the book and have, in our opinion,
made it more suitable for a wider range of readers. Only the case of
singular integral operators with continuous coefficients on a closed
contour is considered herein. The case of discontinuous coefficients and
more general contours will be considered in the second volume. We are
grateful to the editor Professor G. Heinig of the volume and to the
translators Dr. B. Luderer and Dr. S. Roch, and to G. Lillack, who did
the typing of the manuscript, for the work they have done on this
volume.