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This book presents a comprehensive framework for developing Industry 4.0 and 5.0 solutions through the use of ontology modeling and…
graph-based optimization techniques. With effective information management being critical to successful manufacturing processes, this book emphasizes the importance of adequate modeling and systematic analysis of interacting elements in the era of smart manufacturing. The book provides an extensive overview of semantic technologies and their potential to integrate with existing industrial standards, planning, and execution systems to provide efficient data processing and analysis. It also investigates the design of Industry 5.0 solutions and the need for problem-specific descriptions of production processes, operator skills and states, and sensor monitoring in intelligent spaces. The book proposes that ontology-based data can efficiently represent enterprise and manufacturing datasets. The book is divided into two parts: modeling and optimization. The semantic modeling part provides an overview of ontologies and knowledge graphs that can be used to create Industry 4.0 and 5.0 applications, with two detailed applications presented on a reproducible industrial case study. The optimization part of the book focuses on network science-based process optimization and presents various detailed applications, such as graph-based analytics, assembly line balancing, and community detection. The book is based on six key points: the need for horizontal and vertical integration in modern industry; the potential benefits of integrating semantic technologies into ERP and MES systems; the importance of optimization methods in Industry 4.0 and 5.0 concepts; the need to process large amounts of data while ensuring interoperability and re-usability factors; the potential for digital twin models to model smart factories, including big data access; and the need to integrate human factors in CPSs and provide adequate methods to facilitate collaboration and support shop floor workers.Fractal Patterns with MATLAB (SpringerBriefs in Complexity)
Par Santo Banerjee, A. Gowrisankar, Komandla Mahipal Reddy. 2023
This book presents the iterative beauty of fractals and fractal functions graphically with the aid of MATLAB programming. The fractal…
images generated using the MATLAB codes provide visual delight and highly encourage the fractal lovers for creative thinking. The book compiles five cutting-edge research chapters, each with state-of-the art fractal illustrations. It starts with the fundamental theory for the construction of fractal sets via the deterministic iteration algorithm. Incorporating the theoretical base, fractal illustrations of elementary fractal sets are provided with the explicit MATLAB code. The book gives examples of MATLAB codes to present the fractal surfaces. This book is contributed to all the research beginners as well as the professionals on the field of fractal analysis. As it covers basic fractals like Sierpinski triangle to advanced fractal functions with explicit MATLAB code, the presented fractal illustrations hopefully benefit even the non-field readers. The book is a useful course to all the research beginners on the fractal and fractal-related fields.Molecular Dynamics
Par Ruben Santamaria. 2023
This molecular dynamics textbook takes the reader from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics and vice versa, and from few-body systems…
to many-body systems. It is self-contained, comprehensive, and builds the theory of molecular dynamics from basic principles to applications, allowing the subject to be appreciated by readers from physics, chemistry, and biology backgrounds while maintaining mathematical rigor. The book is enhanced with illustrations, problems and solutions, and suggested reading, making it ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses or self-study. With coverage of recent developments, the book is essential reading for students who explore and characterize phenomena at the atomic level. It is a useful reference for researchers in physics and chemistry, and can act as an entry point for researchers in nanoscience, materials engineering, genetics, and related fields who are seeking a deeper understanding of nature.Uncertainty Analyses in Environmental Sciences and Hydrogeology: Methods and Applications to Subsurface Contamination (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology)
Par Rachid Ababou, Juliette Chastanet, Jean-Marie Côme, Manuel Marcoux, Michel Quintard. 2023
This book highlights several methods and quantitative implementations of both probabilistic and fuzzy-based approaches to uncertainty quantification and uncertainty propagation…
through environmental subsurface pollution models with uncertain input parameters. The book focuses on methods as well as applications in hydrogeology, soil hydrology, groundwater contamination, and related areas (e.g., corrosion of nuclear waste canisters). The methods are illustrated for a broad spectrum of models, from non-differential I/O models to complex PDE solvers, including a novel 3D quasi-analytical model of contaminant transport, and a site-specific computer model of dissolved contaminant migration from a DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) pollution source.The Great Task Remaining: The Third Year of Lincoln's War
Par William Marvel. 2010
Focusing on the dramatic events of 1863, this is &“a well-researched and well-written study that will be a fine addition…
to Civil War collections&” (Booklist). The Great Task Remaining is a striking, often poignant portrait of people in conflict—not only in battles between North and South, but within and among themselves as the cost of the ongoing carnage sometimes seemed too much to bear. As 1863 unfolds, we see draft riots in New York, the disaster at Chancellorsville, the battle of Gettysburg, and the end of the siege of Vicksburg. Then, astonishingly, the Confederacy springs vigorously back to life after the Union summer triumphs, setting the stage for Lincoln&’s now famous speech on the Pennsylvania battlefield. Without abandoning the underlying sympathy for Lincoln, William Marvel makes a convincing argument for the Gettysburg Address as being less of a paean to liberty than an appeal to stay the course in the face of rampant antiwar sentiment. This book offers a provocative history of a dramatic year—a year that saw victory and defeat, doubt and riot—as well as a compelling story of a people who clung to the promise of a much-longed-for end. &“By 1863 Northern citizens and soldiers were increasingly and openly wondering whether preserving the union and ending slavery were worth the cost of Mr. Lincoln&’s war. Disillusion and war-weariness had set in: the war&’s only fruits seemed to be moral and political degradation, dangerous constitutional precedents, tens of thousands dead and maimed. The Battle of Chickamauga appeared to have restored the stalemate. Marvel particularly conveys the looming crisis of the impending expiration of the three-year enlistments that were the Union army&’s norm. That, combined with the increasing reluctance of Northern men to volunteer or send their sons, could have ended the war by default. Romance and adventure or misery and peril—which emotions would prevail? As Marvel conclusively demonstrates, the coin remained in the air as 1863 came to an end.&” —Publishers WeeklyWilliam Dawes: Scientist, Governor, Abolitionist: Caught Between Science and Religion (Springer Biographies)
Par Richard De Grijs, Andrew Jacob. 2023
This book describes William Dawes’ life and professional achievements. William Dawes was a British Marine serving as the official astronomer…
on board the First Fleet making the 1787–1788 voyage from Britain to the new colony of New South Wales. Between 1788 and 1791, Dawes established not one but two observatories within a kilometre of Sydney’s present-day city centre, a full seven decades before the construction of Sydney’s historical Observatory at Dawes’ Point, today a stone’s throw from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In this comprehensive biography, the authors discuss William Dawes’ life and his considerable impact—as astronomer, engineer, surveyor, ordnance officer and intellectual centre point—on the early colony in New South Wales (in essence, his impact on the earliest history of Sydney as a settlement) and, subsequently, on the British colonies of Sierra Leone on the West African coast and Antigua in the West Indies. Dawes’ life and professional achievements are closely linked to the earliest history of Sydney as a British settlement. He is often considered a man of high morals, and as such his interactions with the local populations in New South Wales, Sierra Leone and Antigua were mostly deemed respectful and above reproach. He is seen a truly enlightened individual, far ahead of his time. The authors of this book have a significant track record of successful and engaging communication of complex concepts in physics and astronomy with experts and non-experts alike. This biography touches on numerous aspects related to 18th century maritime navigation (“sailing on the stars”), societal relationships, the exploration of newly discovered lands, as well as the early history of Sydney and New South Wales, and the colonial histories of Sierra Leone and the West Indies. As such, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, from scholars in the history of science and maritime navigation, to history enthusiasts ranging from local historians on Australia’s eastern seaboard to members of the public with a keen interest in British colonial history.Introduction to Modified Gravity (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
Par Albert Petrov, Jose Roberto Nascimento, Paulo Porfirio. 2023
This book reviews various modified gravity models, including those with modifications in the pure gravitational sector; those involving extra fields, that…
is, scalar-tensor and vector-tensor gravity theories; gravity models with Lorentz symmetry breaking; and nonlocal gravity models. The authors discuss both classical and quantum aspects of these theories. The book is unique in bringing together all the current alternatives to Einstein gravity in one source and serves as an excellent starting point for graduate students and other newcomers seeking an overview.This second edition has been expanded with new results from a variety of approaches including f(R,Q,P) gravity, galileon gravity and massive gravity. Extended discussions of Lorentz-breaking terms and of non-local field theory have been added and a completely new chapter is devoted to models based on non-Riemannian geometry.Physics Teacher Education: More About What Matters (Challenges in Physics Education)
Par Joan Borg Marks, Pauline Galea. 2023
This book focuses on some important aspects of Physics Education: the role of metaphors in Physics teaching and learning, the…
connections between Physics and Mathematics, the interaction of young children with Physics at the primary level, and recent developments in teacher education in the USA. Contributors present their research related to: • Preparing teachers for TPACK (technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge) and laboratory work. • Developing and evaluating teacher PCK (pedagogical content knowledge) in Quantum Mechanics. • In-service Physics teacher education for early childhood and primary levels. • Pre-service Physics teacher education at all levels. • In-service Physics teacher professional learning for second and higher-level education. Chapters in this book inevitably look into how Physics teacher education is organized in different countries. Suggestions are offered for possible ways of supporting Physics teachers’ learning. An emphasis is made on the much-needed measurements of the effectiveness of different teaching strategies that improve teaching for learning.All this should help professionals, researchers, and pre-service, as well as in-service teachers to get acquainted with the most recent research contributions in the field.Trails in Modern Theoretical and Mathematical Physics: A Volume in Tribute to Giovanni Morchio
Par Andrea Cintio, Alessandro Michelangeli. 2023
This book celebrates the life and work of the late Giovanni Morchio (1944–2021). It features scientific and anecdotal contributions written…
by his former colleagues, co-authors, and students, as well as senior scientists who were active witnesses to the dramatic advances in physics and in mathematics that took place during his 50-year-long career. The volume begins with a biographical introduction, detailing Giovanni Morchio’s life and his role as a physicist, mathematician, teacher, and scientist. The core of the book covers a vast spectrum of ideas, reflecting Dr Morchio’s scientific interests. Each chapter develops a specific topic of modern research, ranging from quantum mechanics and quantum field theory to additional themes such as the connection between general relativity and Newtonian gravitation. Every contribution provides a historical retrospective, a survey of advances, an outlook of future perspectives and challenges, and an updated bibliography. The last part collects the authors’ recollections of their professional and personal interactions with Dr Morchio, in recognition of his deep achievements, his exceptional pedagogical qualities, and his praiseworthy social and pro bono commitment. Authored by physicists of international calibre covering a broad range of subjects, the book will be a valuable reference for researchers and students of theoretical and mathematical physics.The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics
Par Heinrich Päs. 2023
A "fascinating [and] provocative" argument by a particle physicist—marshalling a "heady mix of history, philosophy and cutting-edge theory" (Wall Street Journal)—for monism,…
the ancient idea about the universe that says, All is One In The One, particle physicist Heinrich Päs presents a bold idea: fundamentally, everything in the universe is an aspect of one unified whole. The idea, called monism, has a rich three-thousand-year history: Plato believed that &“all is one&” before monism was rejected as irrational and suppressed as a heresy by the medieval Church. Nevertheless, monism persisted, inspiring Enlightenment science and Romantic poetry. Päs aims to show how monism could inspire physics today, how it could slice through the intellectual stagnation that has bogged down progress in modern physics and help the field achieve the grand theory of everything it has been chasing for decades. Blending physics, philosophy, and the history of ideas, The One is an epic, mind-expanding journey through millennia of human thought and into the nature of reality itself.Routledge Handbook of the Global History of Warfare
Par Kaushik Roy, Michael W. Charney. 2024
This handbook examines key aspects of the development of the global history of warfare and the changing patterns of warfare over time. Although scholarship…
has long eschewed a chronological narrative of the evolution of warfare that privileges the Western experience, global histories of warfare have had difficulty avoiding an overemphasis on the West. The present volume is a collection of themes rather than a history per se; it provides important perspectives on the emergence of warfare as a global historical experience from the ancient past to the present day. Drawing together numerous experts, it tells a broader, more inclusive story of the global, human experience with wars and warfare. The 35 cahtpers are organised in eight thematic parts: Part I: Origins of Warfare Part II: Polities and Armed Forces in the Pre-Modern Era Part III: Steppe Nomads of Eurasia Part IV: Naval Warfare and Piracy in the Pre-Industrial World Part V: The Impact of Gunpowder Part VI: Transition from Industrial to Total War Part VII: Wars of Decolonisation and Cold War Part VIII: Postmodern/New Wars These Parts offer an overview of the global experience of warfare to help readers understand how the wars and the militaries we see today have been shaped by historical developments across the globe. This handbook will be of great interest to students of military history, naval history, strategic studies and world history in general.Trends and Challenges in Cognitive Modeling: An Interdisciplinary Approach Towards Thinking, Memory, and Decision-Making Simulations (STEAM-H: Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Mathematics & Health)
Par Tomas Veloz, Andrei Khrennikov, Bourama Toni, Ramón D. Castillo. 2023
This book presents interdisciplinary research in the science of Human Cognition through mathematical and computational modeling and simulation. Featuring new…
approaches developed by leading experts in the field of cognitive science, it highlights the relevance and depth of this important area of social sciences and its expanding reach into the biological, physical, computational and mathematical sciences. This contributed volume compiles the most recent advancements and cutting-edge applications of cognitive modeling, employing a genuinely multidisciplinary approach to simulate thinking, memory, and decision-making. The topics covered encompass a wide range of subjects, such as Agent-based Modeling in psychological research, the Nyayasutra proof pattern, the utilization of the Pheromone Trail Algorithm for modeling Analog Memory, the theory and practical applications of Social Laser Theory, addressing the challenges of probabilistic learning in brain and behavior models, adopting a Physicalistic perspective to understand the emergence of cognition and computation, an in-depth analysis of the conjunction fallacy as a factual occurrence, exploring quantum modeling and causality in physics and its extensions, examining compositional vector semantics within spiking neural networks, delving into the realms of Optimality, Prototypes, and Bilingualism, and finally, investigating the intricate dimensionality of color perception. Given its scope and approach, the book will benefit researchers and students of computational social sciences, mathematics and its applications, quantum physics.The U.S. Navy and the Rise of Great Power Competition: Looking Beyond the Western Pacific (Cass Series: Naval Policy and History)
Par James J. Wirtz, Jeffrey E. Kline, James A. Russell. 2024
This volume describes how technological and geo-political trends are rapidly transforming maritime affairs. A mix of original and previously published…
material, this volume describes how the 21st-century great power competition is changing the face of naval operations in general, and U.S. Navy operations in the Western Pacific in particular. The rise of an assertive China and its new anti-access and area-denial capabilities threaten the aircraft carrier-based maritime dominance of the U.S. Navy. Military and political trends in the Western Pacific and beyond suggest that the world is encountering a pivotal moment when existing weapons, tactics, and operations might be rendered obsolete by techno-strategic change. This volume considers these developments from three perspectives by describing: (1) the techno-strategic setting; (2) the institutional constraints that impede the ability of the U.S. Navy to respond to these changes; and (3) a new approach to naval force planning and strategy to cope with these developments. The volume culminates in a discussion of sophisticated strategies and operational concepts that position the U.S. Navy and its maritime allies and partners to prevail in today’s techno-strategic churn. This book will be of much interest to students of naval policy, strategic studies, Asia-Pacific politics, and International Relations.This thesis describes key contributions to the fundamental understanding of materials structure and dynamics from a microscopic perspective. In particular,…
the thesis reports several advancements in time-domain methodologies using ultrafast pulses from X-ray free-electron lasers (FEL) to probe the interactions between electrons and phonons in photoexcited materials. Using femtosecond time-resolved X-ray diffraction, the author quantifies the coherent atomic motion trajectory upon sudden excitation of carriers in SnSe. This allows the reconstruction of the nonequilibrium lattice structure and identification of a novel lattice instability towards a higher-symmetry structure not found in equilibrium. This is followed by an investigation of the excited-state phonon dispersion in SnSe using time-resolved X-ray diffuse scattering which enables important insight into how photoexcitation alters the strength of specific bonds leading to the novel lattice instability observed in X-ray diffraction. Finally, by combining ultrafast X-ray diffraction and ARPES, the author performs quantitative measurements of electron-phonon coupling in Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3. The findings highlight the importance of time-resolved X-ray scattering techniques based on FELs, which reveals the details of interplay between electron orbitals, atomic bonds, and structural instabilities. The microscopic information of electron phonon interaction obtained from these methods can rationalize ways to control materials and to design their functional properties.Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos
Par Priyamvada Natarajan. 2016
A theoretical astrophysicist explores the ideas that transformed our knowledge of the universe over the past century. The cosmos,…
once understood as a stagnant place, filled with the ordinary, is now a universe that is expanding at an accelerating pace, propelled by dark energy and structured by dark matter. Priyamvada Natarajan, our guide to these ideas, is someone at the forefront of the research—an astrophysicist who literally creates maps of invisible matter in the universe. She not only explains for a wide audience the science behind these essential ideas but also provides an understanding of how radical scientific theories gain acceptance. The formation and growth of black holes, dark matter halos, the accelerating expansion of the universe, the echo of the big bang, the discovery of exoplanets, and the possibility of other universes—these are some of the puzzling cosmological topics of the early twenty-first century. Natarajan discusses why the acceptance of new ideas about the universe and our place in it has never been linear and always contested even within the scientific community. And she affirms that, shifting and incomplete as science always must be, it offers the best path we have toward making sense of our wondrous, mysterious universe. &“Part history, part science, all illuminating. If you want to understand the greatest ideas that shaped our current cosmic cartography, read this book.&”—Adam G. Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011 &“A highly readable, insider&’s view of recent discoveries in astronomy with unusual attention to the instruments used and the human drama of the scientists.&”—Alan Lightman, author of The Accidental Universe and Einstein's DreamInstruments of Darkness: The History of Electronic Warfare, 1939–1945
Par Alfred Price. 2005
The rapid evolution of radio and radar systems for military use during the Second World War, and devices to counter…
them, led to a technological battle that neither the Axis nor the Allied powers could afford to lose. The result was a continual series of thrusts, parries and counter-thrusts, as first one side then the other sought to wrest the initiative in the struggle to control the ether. This was a battle fought with strange-sounding weapons: 'Freya', 'Mandrel', 'Boozer' and 'Window'; and was characterised by the bravery, self-sacrifice and skill of those who took part in it. However, for many years the use of electronic-warfare systems during the conflict remained a closely guarded military secret. When that veil of secrecy was finally lifted, the technicalities of the subject meant that it remained beyond the reach of lay researchers and readers. Alfred Price, an aircrew officer with the RAF where he flew with V-Force and specialised in electronic warfare and air fighting tactics, was in the unique position to lift the lid on this largely unexplored aspect of the Second World War. When it was first published in 1967, Instruments of Darkness came to be regarded as a standard reference work on this intriguing subject. This completely revised edition concludes with the Japanese surrender in August 1945 and brings the analysis fully up to date in the light of what we now know. 'This book is expertly done. An excellent treatise.' The Times Literary SupplementThe Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future
Par Victor Cha. 2012
From a seasoned advisor, &“a meaty, fast-paced portrait of North Korean society, economy, politics and foreign policy&” (Foreign Affairs). …
In The Impossible State, international-policy expert and former Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on this controversial and isolated country, providing the best look yet at North Korea&’s history, the rise of the Kim family dynasty, and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. He illuminates the repressive regime's complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human-rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime&’s major security issues—from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions—all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il's death and the pivotal and disquieting transition of power from tyrannical father to inexperienced son. How this enigmatic nation-state—one that regularly violates its own citizens&’ inalienable rights and has suffered famine, global economic sanctions, a collapsed economy, and near total isolation from the rest of the world—has continued to survive has long been a question that preoccupies the West. Cha reveals a land of contradictions, and delves into the ideology that leads an oppressed, starving populace to cling so fiercely to its failed leadership. With rare personal anecdotes from the author&’s time in Pyongyang and his tenure as an adviser in the White House, this authoritative, accessible, &“engrossing&” history (The Economist) offers much-needed understanding of the country&’s veiled past and uncertain future. &“An up-close, insightful portrait.&” —The Washington Post &“An eye-opening view of the closed, repressive dictatorship of North Korea. . . . A useful, pertinent work for understanding the human story behind the headlines.&” —Kirkus ReviewsThe Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
Par Mike Duncan. 2017
The creator of the award-winning podcast series The History of Rome and Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political…
machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. Beginning as a small city-state in central Italy, Rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world. In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic. Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, The Storm Before the Storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less)
Par David Bercovici. 2016
Covering 13.8 billion years in some 100 pages, a concise, wryly intelligent history of everything, from the Big Bang to…
the advent of human civilization.With wonder, wit, and flair—and in record time and space—geophysicist David Bercovici explains how everything came to be everywhere, from the creation of stars and galaxies to the formation of Earth&’s atmosphere and oceans, to the origin of life and human civilization. Bercovici marries humor and legitimate scientific intrigue, rocketing readers across nearly fourteen billion years and making connections between the essential theories that give us our current understanding of topics as varied as particle physics, plate tectonics, and photosynthesis. Bercovici&’s unique literary endeavor is a treasure trove of real, compelling science and fascinating history, providing both science lovers and complete neophytes with an unforgettable introduction to the fields of cosmology, geology, genetics, climate science, human evolution, and more.&“For determined minds hoping for cogent, clever explanations for what we know of the history of the universe, Bercovici nails it.&” —Shelf Awareness &“Explaining life, the universe and everything in 100 pages may be a tall order, but physicist and volcano enthusiast Bercovici rises to the challenge. . . . Origins delivers on its promise—and (bonus!) it&’s even fun to read.&” —Discover&“Clear, concise, comprehensive, and written with verve and a sense of humor, The Origins of Everything is a delightful journey through time from the big bang to the present day.&” —Doug Macdougall, author of Frozen EarthThe Virgin Warrior: The Life and Death of Joan of Arc
Par Larissa Juliet Taylor. 1994
&“A fresh and provocative biography of La Pucelle . . . her transformation from a naive girl to a strong-willed,…
bold, and gifted captain of war.&”—Frederic J. Baumgartner, author of France in the Sixteenth CenturyFrance&’s great heroine and England&’s great scourge: whether a lunatic, a witch, a religious icon, or a skilled soldier and leader, Joan of Arc&’s contemporaries found her as extraordinary and fascinating as the legends that abound about her today. But her life has been so endlessly cast and recast that we have lost sight of the remarkable girl at the heart of it—a teenaged peasant girl who, after claiming to hear voices, convinced the French king to let her lead a disheartened army into battle. In the process she changed the course of European history.In The Virgin Warrior, Larissa Juliet Taylor paints a vivid portrait of Joan as a self-confident, charismatic and supremely determined figure, whose sheer force of will electrified those around her and struck terror into the hearts of the English soldiers and leaders. The drama of Joan&’s life is set against a world where visions and witchcraft were real, where saints could appear to peasants, battles and sieges decided the fate of kingdoms and rigged trials could result in burning at the stake. Yet in her short life, Joan emboldened the French soldiers and villagers with her strength and resolve. A difficult, inflexible leader, she defied her accusers and enemies to the end. From her early years to the myths and fantasies that have swelled since her death, Taylor &“goes deep into Joan of Arc&’s heart and soul and shows us the maiden, the warrior and the heroine&” (Kate Williams, New York Times bestselling author).