The Editors would like to dedicate this online reference work to the memory of Mrs. Joy Shires whose untimely death on July 21st 1996 was a great shock and sadness to all of us. To organise THERMOPEDIA with over a thousand articles and nearly three hundred authors is a formidable task and the credit for its successful completion must largely go to Joy Shires. As Contributors to this online reference will know well, Joy´s excellent efforts in organising the production of the manuscript were exemplary and inspiring and we feel sure that the Contributors will join with us in recording our gratitude. In the future, whenever we access this online reference work, we will remember Joy and particularly her zest for life, her sense of humour, and her determination and enthusiasm.