The Rat: A Perverse Miscellany

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

This “perverse miscellany” is based on the presumed general
interest, and the editor’s strong personal one, in rats. The text,
which is accompanied by copious photographs and figures, consists of
quotations assembled from many diverse sources, dealing with the
cultural image of rats, biology and geography, aggressive and diseased
interactions with humans, and representation in literature, art, film,
and cuisine. Throughout the book, fact and fable are mixed—and, at
least in the cases of B.F. Skinner (who did not run rats in mazes) and
“rat kings” (alleged groups living with entwined tails), the
contributor does not appear able to distinguish between the two. This
reference-cum-anthology will appeal only to those with a keen interest
in the subject.