This significantly expanded edition of Essential Criminology covers the broadest range of criminological theories—the essential criminological theories—from longstanding ones such as classical theory and strain theory to recently introduced ones such as ultra-realism and green cultural criminology. Whether all are “essential” depends on one’s theoretical stance. The value of this text is its carefully designed comparative analysis, which helps readers consider their relative contribution to the field. Originally designed as an alternative to lengthy and expensive introductory texts, Essential Criminology provides a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the field. The book offers a clear, structured, student-friendly, critical analytical examination of the nature of crime, theories of crime causation, and their criminal justice policy implications. Causal theories covered range from micro-level classical and rational choice to biological psychological, social learning, social control,