Jeffrey Epstein’s book purchases paint him as an eclectic reader, with topics ranging from the Catholic church to cryptocurrency, from philosophy to pilates, from espionage to immortality.
He acquired multiple works by American filmmaker Woody Allen, German psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer and Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov — whose book “Lolita” was infamously used to nickname Epstein’s private jet.
The convicted sex offender’s reading list was assembled by Bloomberg using Amazon receipts delivered to his Yahoo email. The outlet obtained a trove of over 18,000 emails from the account earlier this year.
The Independent contacted many of the authors included on the list, several of whom offered their reactions to learning their work was consumed by one of the world’s most notorious criminals.
The digitally recreated library emerges as Epstein’s legacy — marked by his grave crimes, enigmatic career and ties to President Donald Trump — has once again captured national attention.
On Wednesday, a House committee released thousands of Epstein’s private emails, including messages from attorneys, journalists, author Michael Wolff, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. In the emails, Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls” and “spent hours at my house” with a victim of sex trafficking.
The same day, a House discharge petition secured enough votes, with the help of four Republicans, to force a chamber-wide vote to compel the Justice Department to release all of the files it has on Epstein.
Trump has maintained he did nothing wrong — and that he severed ties with Epstein years ago. On Friday, he accused Democrats of “doing everything in their withering power to push the Epstein Hoax again.”
Here is a breakdown of some of the books Epstein purchased between 2007 and 2019, the year he died in prison while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.
2007
The earliest receipts to appear in Epstein’s inbox pertain to books on mathematics — the subject he taught at the Dalton School in Manhattan before embarking on a career in the world of finance, according to Bloomberg.
One volume is titled “Conversations with a Mathematician," while another was “Exploring Randomness.”
Later in the year, between October and December, Epstein bought a series of books on spirituality and suffering, including “The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity.”
On Christmas Eve, he ordered several books on tantric sex.
After 2007, there was a sizable gap in purchasing activity, which coincided with Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida. He pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution and received an 18-month sentence, most of which he served under a work-release program.
2013
In 2013, the year he turned 60, the convicted pedophile started picking up books again. Late in the year, he ordered “Family Wealth Management” and “The Story of a Practical Idealist.” Both are about managing money.
2014
Epstein snapped up a large collection of books in 2014, including six installments from a series called “The Man from O.R.G.Y.” The Cold War era thriller follows a spy who is also a sex researcher.
Later in the year, he purchased “The Complete Book of Pilates for Men” and “The Physics of Immortality,” which purports to prove that humans can be resurrected.
In October, Epstein bought half a dozen copies of “The Celebrity Assistant’s Handbook,” which details how to deal with the uber wealthy.
He also got his hands on a copy of “The Rosie Project,” a popular novel about an autistic professor seeking romance.
“The Rosie Project sold over a million copies in the U.S., sixty-five weeks on the NYT bestseller list, and a survey a couple of weeks ago had it as one of the top books of the 21st century,” author Graeme Simsion told The Independent. “So any avid reader is likely to have read it.”
“It’s a pretty clean book,” Simsion said.
In a follow-up response he offered another reflection.
"This person that I’ve read so much about likely spent as much time reading what I’d written – and maybe I shaped his views on something,” he said. “Clearly, here, that wasn’t where work was needed."
2015
Among the volumes Epstein acquired in 2015 were “Between Two Stools,” an investigation into scatology, and Norman Mailer’s “The Prisoner of Sex,” in which the writer critiques feminism.
He also picked up Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer,” which chronicles the bohemian lifestyle of an American expatriate in Paris, as well as two books on corruption in the Vatican.
2016
In 2016, Epstein purchased a handful of books about or written by Woody Allen — his friend and neighbor, who penned a 2003 birthday letter to Epstein that compared his home to Dracula’s castle, according to The New York Times.
In May, the disgraced financier bought “Extraordinary Minds,” which examined four famous individuals throughout history. It was written by Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner.
When informed that his 1998 book was included in Epstein’s library and asked for his reaction, Gardner told The Independent, “That's a reasonable request and interesting to know. But I don't want to speculate about his motivation.”
Between June and October, the Brooklyn-born former Bear Sterns trader ordered four works by psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, including one titled “Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious."
“Epstein read my books?” Gigerenzer told The Independent. “Well, that’s not exactly the audience I had in mind when I wrote ‘Risk Savvy’ and ‘Gut Feelings.’ But if he was looking for better decision-making, he really should’ve started sooner.”
The notorious criminal also scooped up over a dozen copies of James Patterson’s book about Epstein called “Filthy Rich.”
2017
In the weeks surrounding Trump’s inauguration, Epstein bought several tomes about narcissism, including "Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism" by an Australian psychoanalyst.
Around the same time, he acquired two books about swearing. One was “In Praise of Profanity” by Michael Adams, an English professor at Indiana University Bloomington.
“To say I'm shocked is an understatement,” Adams told The Independent upon learning about Epstein’s purchase of his book. “If Epstein thought my book would validate his behavior, I hope he was as disappointed as I was shocked to hear that he bought it.”
Later in the year, the disgraced financier went on a buying spree, obtaining at least 18 titles, with topics ranging from foreplay to Darwinian medicine.
2018
One year into Trump’s first term, Epstein took an interest in white collar crime. He purchased a book on the Panama Papers — which were leaked offshore tax files — as well as a thriller about a Swiss banker.
In May, he bought several volumes on cryptocurrency, including “Bitcoin for Dummies” and “Blockchain Technology Explained.”
He also ordered at least four books about Trump. Among them were “Fear” by Bob Woodward and “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff, whom he frequently corresponded with over email.
In November, the disgraced financier procured “enough classic literature to last years,” including celebrated works by William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and William Faulker, according to Bloomberg.
Another purchase was “Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations.”
2019
During the last year of his life, as federal investigators were coordinating their case against him, Epstein once again demonstrated his omnivorous appetite.
He picked up “In the Closet of the Vatican,” a book about gay Catholic priests, “Mycelium Running,” an ode to mushrooms and “The Serious Guide to Joke Writing.”
In May, just three months before his death, Epstein made one of his final book purchases: Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” a novel about a man obsessed with a 12-year-old girl.
