Considering that the motion of strings with finitely many masses on them is described by difference equations, this book presents the spectral theory of such problems on finite graphs of strings. The direct problem of finding the eigenvalues as well as the inverse problem of finding strings with a prescribed spectrum are considered. This monograph gives a comprehensive and self-contained account on the subject, thereby also generalizing known results. The interplay between the representation of rational functions and their zeros and poles is at the center of the methods used. The book also...