John Dickie is Professor of Italian Studies at University College London. He is an internationally recognised specialist on many aspects of Italian history.

His works include Cosa Nostra. A History of the Sicilian Mafia, which has sold over 750,000 copies since it was first published in 2004, and Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and their Food (2007), which has also been translated into many languages.

His latest book is Mafia Brotherhoods: Camorra, mafia, 'ndrangheta: The Rise of the Honoured Societies*.

"Exciting and well-written, it plays out like a 19th-century Sopranos."
Shortlist

"An exhilarating history, powered by the sort of muscular prose one associates with great detective fiction."
Financial Times

*Mafia Brotherhoods was published in hardback as Blood Brotherhoods