John Webster, MA, Vet MB, PhD, DVM (Hon), is a retired Professor of Animal Husbandry at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. He established the Bristol Unit for Study of Animal Welfare and Behavior and is a founding member of the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC). Published as a part of the prestigious Wiley Blackwell - UFAW Animal Welfare series. UFAW, founded in 1926, is an internationally recognized, independent, scientific, and educational animal welfare charity.

Ben Jonson (1572 or 1573–1637) was born in London. A prolific poet, playwright, and contemporary of William Shakespeare, many of Jonson’s plays were performed by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company. Married to Anne Lewis in 1594, the couple enjoyed some influence in London and Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1616, Jonson collected his entire works for publication in a single volume—something that had never been done before—and was made poet laureate that same year, for which he was given a pension by King James I.