The objective of this meeting was to bring together collea- gues from different branches of observational astronomy and theoretical astrophysics to discuss and analyse the rapid progress in our knowledge and understanding of the matter surrounding stars, streaming off stellar surfaces, or fall- ing onto stars. The meeting was sponsored by IAU Commis- sions 36 (Theory of Stellar Atmospheres), 29 (Stellar Spec- tra), and 34 (Interstellar Matter). There were two special reasons for organizing this meeting at Heidelberg in 1986: During this year the University of Heidelberg celebrated its 600th...

Edith Alicia Muller (1918-1995) was the IAU General Secretary from 1976 to 1979, the first woman to have this responsibility. Many friends, students and colleagues, and others who have met Edith at different occasions, give in this book their memories of her. Her fundamental work in solar physics concerned the chemical composition of the Sun, the time variation of its infra-red spectrum, and its thermal structure. Her interests were, however, far broader than that. She was heavily involved in international work for the teaching of astronomy and for the exchange program of young astronomers."