About the Book: Homo Criminalis explores the surprising influence of organised crime on the development of modern society, asking when bandits became monarchs, gangs became governments and criminal power became legitimate authority. From Chinese banditry and eighteenth-century English tea smuggling to cocaine submarines and emerging high-tech crime, this fascinating history reveals how the criminal underworld has shaped state-making, capitalism and globalisation. Packed with compelling stories and historical insights, the book offers an entertaining and thought-provoking new perspective on human progress, demonstrating how organised crime has influenced the institutions, economies and systems of power that define the modern world.