Dr. Jim Bell is a professor of geology and planetary science in Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration in Tempe, AZ, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Jim is a member of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America.

As President of The Planetary Society, he is a prolific public commentator on science and space exploration, earning the 2011 Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society for excellence in public communication of planetary science.

Former high-school teacher John Davis, aka DJ Argonaut, is now one of Australia's most sought after club DJs. As well as being a successful DJ and event promoter, John has a crazed fanaticism for RuPaul's Drag Race. Constantly working with drag royalty, he has learned the true importance to these performers to mainstream culture as well as to queer history. John can easily recite the chronological order of elimination of every Drag Race contestant while debating the importance of a winner’s sewing skills over comedic ability.

Since Boswell’s Fairies, a tale about recruit training in Her Britannic Majesty’s Corp of Royal Marines, was published in 2017, Peter Lingard has turned his style of writing to tell of life in an English public house.

Peter worked in a London pub for a while (although it was nothing like the one depicted here) and thereby gained the experience necessary to write this book.

These days he prefers wine to beer, but his love of Manchester City FC is constant. Melbourne, VIC.

Irish-American Pat O'Connor first journeyed to Ireland in 1981, and was hooked by the history and passion of the feisty Irish culture. Frequent return visits led to his partnership with Rick Steves and his work as a tour guide and coauthor of this book. Pat loves all things Hibernian (except the black pudding) and thrives on the adventures that occur as he annually slogs the bogs in search of new Irish travel discoveries.

Dr Dan Spencer has made a special study of late medieval warfare, focusing in particular on gunpowder artillery and castles. Recent publications include The Castle at War in Medieval England and Wales and Royal and Urban Gunpowder Weapons in Late Medieval England.

Chloe Timms is a twenty-something sweet maker and entrepeneur based in South London. Her brand Fatties Bakery specialises in making salted caramels in the traditional way.

She currently has stalls in Druid Street Market and Kerb and sells her products at health food shops and delis.

Michael Webb is a Los Angeles–based writer who has authored more than twenty books on architecture and design, most recently Modernist Paradise: Niemeyer House, Boyd Collection, and Venice, CA: Art + Architecture in a Maverick Community, while contributing essays to many more.

He is also a regular contributor to leading journals in the United States and Europe. Growing up in London, he wrote for The Times and Country Life before moving to the US to direct film programs for the American Film Institute and curate a Smithsonian exhibition, Hollywood: Legend and Reality, which traveled to major American cities and Tokyo.