All about Ferrets and Rats: A Complete History of Ferrets, Rats, and Rat Extermination from Personal Experiences and Study. Also a Practical Hand-Book on the Ferret

In Short

This book serves as both a manual for the care and training of ferrets and an aggressive treatise on the necessity of exterminating rats. Written in 1890 by a self-described professional "rat-catcher," it blends clinical observation—such as how to house, feed, and handle ferrets—with whimsical, fictionalized histories regarding the prehistoric origins of these animals. Though it functions partly as a nineteenth-century catalog for the author’s own pest-control products, it endures as a fascinating window into the period’s attitudes toward urban vermin and the idiosyncratic personality of its author.

The Story

The narrative arc moves from the practical to the fantastical. It begins with the utilitarian goal of introducing the reader to the ferret, which the author presents as the only reliable solution to a rat infestation. He details the ferret’s anatomy, noting its "india-rubber" flexibility, and explains how to train these animals to hunt effectively at night. The story of the ferret is one of constant, rhythmic labor; the animal is framed as a tireless, crunching machine capable of clearing out even the most stubborn rodent populations.

As the book progresses, the focus shifts to the enemy. The author paints the rat as a villainous character, cataloging its destructive habits—from eating cheese and ruining grain to gnawing on matches and causing fires. He describes the rat’s social structure, noting that they live in colonies and survive through a ruthless, opportunistic cannibalism. He presents a grim, often dark view of the rat’s intelligence, even suggesting they possess a "deficiency" in their moral code.

The middle of the book pivots into a strange, myth-making mode. The author invents a prehistoric origin story for the ferret, featuring two anthropomorphic martens named "Ver" and "Rect." These characters travel across continents, experiencing various hardships and culinary disappointments before discovering their true purpose: hunting the rat. This mythic sequence serves to explain the ferret’s modern-day instincts. The author then pivots back to his own professional life, detailing his specialized systems for rat extermination.

The book concludes by tying these strands together. The author argues that rats are inherently "Chinese" in origin, invoking a mix of period stereotypes and folklore to justify his view of them as an invading, alien force. He returns to his primary identity as a businessman, ending the work with a series of advertisements for his "Special Steel Trap" and his own line of insecticides. The entire progression is one of transformation: the animal begins as a biological specimen, becomes a mythological hero in an ancient, fabricated past, and finally settles into its modern role as a tool in the author’s commercial arsenal. It is a journey from the scientific, to the folkloric, to the purely transactional.

How It Unfolds

The practical foundation The author establishes his credibility by detailing thirty years of field experience. He defines the ferret’s physical capabilities and provides strict instructions on diet, housing, and the proper way to lift the animal by its tail.

The anatomy of a pest The narrative shifts to the habits of the rat, categorizing its varieties and detailing its destructive impact on cities and farms. The author highlights the rat's capacity for rapid breeding and its alarming ability to adapt to human environments.

The myth of origin The tone turns unexpected and legendary as the author recounts a prehistoric travelogue featuring two martens, Ver and Rect. This bizarre interlude frames the ferret’s hunting instincts as a legacy of these ancient, wandering ancestors.

The commercial resolution The book returns to the present day, with the author emphasizing the superiority of his own methods over traditional traps or cats. He concludes by offering his professional services and proprietary products, positioning his business as the ultimate solution for a rat-ridden public.

The People

The primary figure is Adolph Isaacsen, who writes under the professional pseudonym "Sure Pop." He is an energetic, self-assured, and somewhat combative character who views himself as an authority on a subject—rat extermination—that he believes the rest of society ignores at its own peril. He is driven by a desire to professionalize the act of pest control, viewing the rat as a genuine moral and physical antagonist to civilization.

In his mythological section, he introduces Ver and Rect, two anthropomorphic martens. They represent the "prehistoric" iteration of the ferret. They are motivated by "The Stomach," a god-like personification of hunger that pushes them to evolve and wander the earth. They are not merely animals; they are pilgrims seeking the perfect hunting grounds. Through them, Isaacsen projects his own obsession with efficiency and feeding onto the animal world.

Finally, the "Chinaman" appears as a recurring, abstract figure in the author’s worldview. Isaacsen uses this stereotype as a rhetorical device to explain the origin of the rat, linking the supposed craftiness of the Chinese to the "ways that are dark" and the "tricks that are vain" of the rat. These figures—the confident professional, the hungry prehistoric wanderer, and the xenophobic caricature—together form the lens through which Isaacsen views the entire natural world.

In Its Own Voice

Regarding the physical nature of the ferret:

Wherever a rat can go a ferret can go, because the latter's body is as flexible as rubber, and it can squeeze itself up, draw itself out, and flatten its limbs into a likeness of a New England buckwheat cake, as if there wasn't a bone in its body.

Regarding the ferret's habit of feeding:

It is rather an appalling experience for the first time to hear the hungry ferret's teeth go crunch, crunch, as they meet in the neck of some fat rodent.

Regarding the author's commercial approach to vermin:

After all is said and done, the most practical of all rat-traps is my little "Special Steel Trap," which catches one rat at a time, but its cost is so reasonable that you can have a dozen of them for the price of one of the big wire ones.

What It's Really About

The book is fundamentally an argument for human dominance over the urban environment. It treats the rat not merely as a biological nuisance but as an existential threat to order, hygiene, and property. The questions underneath the text concern the limit of human control: Can we, through science, traps, and specifically trained predators, truly sanitize the world? The author struggles with the tension between the "natural" world of wild, breeding vermin and the "civilized" world of shops, warehouses, and homes. Ultimately, it is about the commodification of nature—the idea that every problem, even the age-old struggle against the rat, can be solved by the right product, sold by the right expert.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of science and the evolution of professional trades will find this an evocative, if occasionally jarring, artifact. It offers a clear, unfiltered look at the Victorian-era obsession with "sanitary inspectors" and the lengths to which people would go to solve urban pest issues. The prose is remarkably confident and energetic, making it a quick and often surprising read.

However, modern readers must be prepared for the book's period attitudes. The author’s xenophobic framing of the rat’s origins and his dismissive, often cruel descriptions of how to handle animals reflect the common prejudices of 1890. The inclusion of the "Ver and Rect" origin myth—which is written with a strange, jaunty tone that feels out of place with the rest of the manual—is a peculiar delight that highlights the era’s willingness to blend fact and fable. If you can navigate these outdated tropes, you will find a vivid, sometimes brutal, and deeply personal account of a life spent in the margins of society, fighting the "whiskered vermin race." It stays with you not just for its advice, but for the author's unshakable, almost fanatical commitment to his chosen profession.