We are happy to announce the publication of our book ``Free Choice
Petri Nets'', number 40 of the series Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical
Computer Science, published by Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0 521
465192 hardback).

The book is divided into 10 chapters. Chapters 1-5 present analysis
techniques (place and transition invariants, siphons and traps), and 
classical results of the structure theory of Petri nets
(results on marked graphs, Commoner's and Hack's theorems, etc.).
Chapters 6-9 contain recent developments in the theory of free choice
nets, like the rank theorem. In Chapter 10, some results of the former
chapters are generalized to larger net classes.

Since a good part of the material was spread among 
different publications, many of them difficult to access (and sometimes
containing mistakes), we have taken special care in making the book
self-contained. Every notion is explained, and every result is proved.
The material is organized along the lines of a course, and each chapter
is followed by exercises.

Here is a more detailed list of contents:

  1  Introduction                                        1
     1.1  Petri nets.....................................2
     1.2  Free-choice Petri nets.........................5
     1.3  Properties.....................................8
     1.4  Structure of the book..........................9

  2  Analysis techniques for Petri nets                 13
     2.1  Mathematical preliminaries....................13
     2.2  Nets and their properties.....................15
     2.3  Systems and their properties..................24
     2.4  S-invariants and T-invariants.................30

  3  S-systems and T-systems                            41
     3.1  S-systems.....................................41
     3.2  T-systems.....................................46

  4  Liveness in free-choice systems                    63
     4.1  Free-choice systems...........................63
     4.2  Stable predicates: siphons and traps..........66
     4.3  Commoner's Theorem............................70
     4.4  The non-liveness problem is NP-complete.......82
     4.5  Minimal siphons...............................85
     4.6  Liveness and deadlock-freedom.................87

  5  The Coverability Theorems                          91
     5.1  The S-coverability Theorem....................91
     5.2  Derived results...............................97
     5.3  The T-coverability Theorem...................101
     5.4  Derived results..............................109

  6  The Rank Theorem                                  113
     6.1  Characterizations of well-formedness.........113
     6.2  The non-well-formed case.....................116
     6.3  The well-formed case.........................123
     6.4  Derived results..............................130
  
  7  Reduction and synthesis                           137
     7.1  Basic notions................................138
     7.2  The reduction rules..........................139
     7.3  An example of reduction......................149
     7.4  Completeness.................................151
     7.5  Synthesis rules..............................163
 
  8  Home markings                                     171
     8.1  Existence of home markings...................171
     8.2  A characterization of the home markings......176
     8.3  Derived results..............................185

  9  Reachability and shortest sequences               189
     9.1  The Reachability Theorem.....................190
     9.2  The Shortest Sequence Theorem................199

  10 Generalizations                                   211
     10.1  Asymmetric-choice nets......................211
     10.2  A necessary condition for well-formedness...214
     10.3  A sufficient condition for well-formedness..218

  Index                                                238

  List of symbols                                      244

  List of main results                                 247


The book has been available in UK bookshops since 12/01/95, for 25 pounds
sterling, and it should also be available in all good bookshops in other
countries. You may also order directly from CUP (they charge 2.50 pounds
plus the local Mws/VAT/IVA within the European Union).

For more information about availability and delivery you may contact:

Customer Services
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building
Cambridge CB2 2RU

Tlf.: +44 223 325970
Fax:  +44 223 325959
E-mail: science@cup.cam.ac.uk 


Joerg Desel                         Javier Esparza
Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin     Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Institut fuer Informatik            Institut fuer Informatik
Unter den Linden 6                  Arcisstr. 21
D-10099 Berlin                      D-80290 Muenchen     
Germany                             Germany
E-mail:                             E-mail:
desel@informatik.hu-berlin.de       esparza@informatik.tu-muenchen.de