Such studies are a reminder that John Donne was right: No man is an island.

WSJ: Our Social Networks, Ourselves

Walton's minister was John Donne, whom he attended in Donne's final illness and recalled with a biography.

WSJ: It Has Hooked Generations of Fishermen | Izaak Walton | The Compleat Angler | By H. George Fletcher

Famous for "The Compleat Angler" (1653) describing the pleasures of fishing, he also wrote several biographies notably of English poet John Donne.

CNN: Sunday,

Quoting 17th-Century English poet John Donne's work "For Whom the Bell Tolls, " Yates' lawyer, George Parnham, told the jury their decision would affect all humanity.

CNN: Andrea Yates case: Texas mother gets life in prison

This was pointed out as long ago as the 17th century by John Donne, an English poet and divine, who wrote an entire book on suicide.

ECONOMIST: Let death be my dominion