The reading list of Jeffrey Epstein: Emails reveal pedophile’s Amazon picks from ‘Lolita’ to Woody Allen
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.
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.
