Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

Homo Criminalis

byMark Galeotti, Mark Galeotti (Read by)

How crime organises the world

Format:

HardbackEbookAudio Download

Buy the book from:

Apple BooksOpens in a new tabAudibleOpens in a new tabGoogle PlayOpens in a new tabHiveOpens in a new tabKoboOpens in a new tabLibro.fmOpens in a new tabSpotifyOpens in a new tabxigxagOpens in a new tab
Brought to you by Penguin.

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.

© Mark Galeotti 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

About Mark Galeotti

Mark Galeotti is one of the world’s leading experts on Russian crime and security (which are often one and the same), which may explain why Moscow banned him in 2022. After a stint with the Foreign Office, he has been a scholar and think-tanker in London, New York, Moscow, Prague and Florence. He now heads the consultancy Mayak Intelligence and is an honorary professor at University College London and a senior fellow with RUSI and the Council on Geostrategy. A prolific author, he frequently acts as consultant to various government, commercial and law-enforcement agencies and has briefed everyone from prime ministers to CEOs.
Details
  • Imprint: Ebury Digital
  • ISBN: 9781529943269
  • Length: 574 minutes
  • Price: £14.00
All editions