2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/5413This is a review article for the book "Compact Stellar X-Ray Sources", Editors W. Lewin and M. van der Klis, to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2003. It covers the phenomenology of cosmic gamma-ray bursts, the theory of their afterglows, and the observations and interpretation of their host galaxies.47 pages, 11 figures. Revised version, with minor changesAstrophysicstext