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Homo Criminalis: How crime organises the world
Author(s): Mark Galeotti (Author)
- Publisher: Ebury Press
- Publication Date: August 7, 2025
- Language: English
- Print length: 320 pages
- ISBN-10: 1529148235
- ISBN-13: 9781529148237
Book Description
“Glittering… the author’s obvious enthusiasm for the subject is matched by impressive erudition.” — The Spectator
“The readable, scary, fun beach read of new crime literature.” — Financial Times
When does a bandit become a monarch? When does a gang become a government? And is organized crime at the heart of every modern state?
In this thrilling, fast-paced exploration of how the criminal underworld has shaped the world we live in, Homo Criminalis traces the hidden connections between outlaws and empires, smugglers and statesmen. From Chinese bandits and eighteenth-century English tea smugglers to modern cocaine submarines and the digital crimes of the future, this is the untold story of how illicit power built our so-called legitimate world.
Entertaining, provocative, and rich with fascinating stories, Homo Criminalis reveals how the evolution of organized crime mirrors the evolution of society itself — and how the dark underbelly of human ambition has shaped everything from capitalism to globalization.
Editorial Reviews
Review
In
Homo Criminalis, Mark Galeotti does not shy away from asking the big questions―is every state founded on a crime? Are robbers with of a code of honour a mafia or a kingdom? Why crime flourishes at times of social upheavals? His answers take us on a tour-de-force across the centuries and the continents in a book replete with poignant examples and written in his distinctive style, accessible yet precise. A must read. — Frederico Varese, author of ‘Russia in Four Criminals’From medieval bandits to modern mafias,
Homo Criminalis takes us on a fast-paced journey through the underworlds that have shaped our upperworld. Combining captivating storytelling with incisive analysis, Galeotti’s sweeping global history makes a compelling case that to truly understand how the world works we must understand the criminals who’ve helped create it. — Peter Andreas, author of ‘The Illicit Global Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know’In the study of organised crime we often don’t look enough at history and in the study of history we don’t look enough at organised crime. There is no one better than Galeotti to bridge the divide as he does in
Homo Criminalis. His prescient and often witty narrative keeps you reading, and even if you are buried deep in the debate, there are new insights on every page. — Mark Shaw, Director of the Global Institute Against Transnational Organized Crime Glittering… the author’s obvious enthusiasm for the subject is matched by impressive erudition. ― SpectatorThe readable, scary, fun beach read of new crime literature ―
Financial TimesIn
Homo Criminalis, Mark Galeotti does not shy away from asking the big questions―is every state founded on a crime? Are robbers with of a code of honour a mafia or a kingdom? Why crime flourishes at times of social upheavals? His answers take us on a tour-de-force across the centuries and the continents in a book replete with poignant examples and written in his distinctive style, accessible yet precise. A must read. ― Federico Varese, author of Russia in Four CriminalsFrom medieval bandits to modern mafias,
Homo Criminalis takes us on a fast-paced journey through the underworlds that have shaped our upperworld. Combining captivating storytelling with incisive analysis, Galeotti’s sweeping global history makes a compelling case that to truly understand how the world works we must understand the criminals who’ve helped create it. ― Peter Andreas, author of The Illicit Global Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know
