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Homo Criminalis

How crime organises the world
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( 26 ratings, 2 reviews)
Brief Description
A witty whistle-stop tour through organised crime across the centuries, by acclaimed historian and journalist Mark Galeotti, exploring how the underworld shapes our overworld, perfect for fans of Otto English. When does a bandit become a monarch? When does a gang become a government? And is... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A witty whistle-stop tour through organised crime across the centuries, by acclaimed historian and journalist Mark Galeotti, exploring how the underworld shapes our overworld, perfect for fans of Otto English.

When does a bandit become a monarch? When does a gang become a government? And is organised crime at the heart of every modern state?

On a thrilling whistle-stop tour of how the world's criminal underbelly has shaped state-making, capitalism, globalisation and all forms of so-called legitimate power, Homo Criminalis shows the emergence of modern society through the evolution of the underworld and its crimes. From Chinese banditry and eighteenth-century English tea smuggling to today's cocaine submarines and the high-tech crimes of tomorrow, this book shows us how the world's dark underbelly shapes us, no matter how we try to outpace it.

Entertaining, engaging and packed full of fascinating stories, Homo Criminalis is a book for those who want to see our grand story of progress through the surprising and subversive new lens of organised crime.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529148237

Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 August 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Ebury Press

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 40.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 700g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Professor Mark Galeotti is one of the foremost Russia-watchers today, who travels there regularly to teach, lecture, talk to his contacts, and generally watch the unfolding story of the Putin era. Based in London, he is Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague, having previously headed its Centre for European Security, and was before then Professor of Global Affairs at NYU. A prolific author on Russia and security affairs, he frequently acts as consultant to various government, commercial and law-enforcement agencies.

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