This book traces the history of the human relationship with rats from the
first archaeological finds to the genetically engineered rats of the present
day, describing its role in the arts and sciences, religion and myth, psychoanalysis and medicine. The author includes wide-ranging examples of the
rats appearance: in literature The Pied Piper, Beatrix Potter stories, The Wind in the Willows; in culture Victorian rat-and-dog baiting pits, its popularity as a pet, even the subject of a 70s pop song; and folklore.
