Newly uncovered emails have exposed the disturbing reading habits of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing an Amazon shopping list that includes Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita alongside works about narcissism and multiple books by his friend Woody Allen.
The Digital Library of a Criminal
Bloomberg assembled the comprehensive reading list by examining Amazon receipts delivered to Epstein's Yahoo email account, obtaining a cache of over 18,000 emails from the disgraced financier's inbox earlier this year. The purchases span from 2007 to 2019, the year Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.
The Independent contacted numerous authors whose works appeared in Epstein's digital library, with several expressing shock and dismay upon learning their books had been consumed by one of the world's most notorious criminals.
Author Reactions to Epstein's Choices
Michael Adams, an English professor at Indiana University Bloomington and author of In Praise of Profanity, told The Independent: "To say I'm shocked is an understatement." He added, "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."
Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner, whose 1998 book Extraordinary Minds was among Epstein's purchases, offered a more measured response: "That's a reasonable request and interesting to know. But I don't want to speculate about his motivation."
Chronology of a Disturbing Collection
The earliest receipts from 2007 show Epstein purchasing mathematics books, reflecting his former career teaching the subject at Manhattan's Dalton School before entering finance. Later that year, his interests shifted to spirituality and suffering, with Christmas Eve 2007 seeing him order several books on tantric sex.
A significant gap in purchasing activity coincided with Epstein's controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida, where he pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution and received an 18-month sentence.
Purchasing resumed in 2013 around his 60th birthday, with Epstein acquiring wealth management books. The following year brought an eclectic mix including six installments from The Man from O.R.G.Y. series about a spy who doubles as a sex researcher, alongside The Complete Book of Pilates for Men and The Physics of Immortality.
In 2015, Epstein's selections included Norman Mailer's The Prisoner of Sex and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer, alongside two books investigating corruption in the Vatican.
Trump Connections and Final Purchases
The reading list emerges as Epstein's legacy has recaptured national attention following the House Oversight Committee's release of thousands of his private emails. These communications include messages from attorneys, journalists, author Michael Wolff, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
In the emails, Epstein wrote that Donald Trump "knew about the girls" and "spent hours at my house" with a sex trafficking victim. The same day these emails were released, a House discharge petition secured enough votes to force a chamber-wide vote compelling the Justice Department to release all Epstein files.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining 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."
Epstein's 2016 purchases included multiple books by his friend and neighbour Woody Allen, who had written a 2003 birthday letter comparing Epstein's home to Dracula's castle according to The New York Times.
During the weeks surrounding Trump's 2017 inauguration, Epstein bought several books about narcissism, including Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism. The following year, he demonstrated interest in white collar crime, purchasing books on the Panama Papers and cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin for Dummies.
Notably, Epstein acquired at least four books about Trump in 2018, including Bob Woodward's Fear and Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury. He also purchased over a dozen copies of James Patterson's book about himself titled Filthy Rich.
In his final year, Epstein's omnivorous reading appetite continued with purchases including In the Closet of the Vatican about gay Catholic priests, Mycelium Running about mushrooms, and The Serious Guide to Joke Writing. Just three months before his death in August 2019, he made one of his final purchases: Nabokov's Lolita, the novel about a man obsessed with a 12-year-old girl that had famously been used to nickname Epstein's private jet.
