If you’ve spent any time on the darker corners of the internet lately, you've probably seen people screaming about "the list." It’s become a sort of modern-day boogeyman. Everyone thinks there is this one magical document—the little black book Epstein supposedly used to keep track of every person who ever did something wrong on his island. Honestly, the reality is a lot messier. And probably more boring, if you can believe that.
We’re now in 2026, and the Department of Justice is still trickling out files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It’s been a long road. But even with thousands of pages hitting the public domain, there's still a massive disconnect between what the "black book" actually is and what people want it to be.
The Book vs. The List: A Critical Distinction
Here is the thing. There isn't just one book. There are actually two distinct versions of the little black book Epstein owned that have surfaced over the years.
The first one most people know about is the 92-page (sometimes cited as 97-page) address book that was leaked years ago. This was the one Gawker published a redacted version of back in 2015. It’s basically a high-society Rolodex. It has names like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Alan Dershowitz. But it also has his gardener. His massage therapists. His lawyer. His housekeepers.
Then there’s the "other" book. This one surfaced more recently, appearing at auction in late 2024. It’s older—from the mid-90s—and it was literally found on a sidewalk in Manhattan decades ago. It’s a 64-page Gestetner-bound relic. What’s wild about this version is that it contains names that aren't in the later book. It has different checkmarks and yellow highlights that nobody has fully decoded yet.
Why it isn't a "Client List"
You’ve probably heard people use the term "client list" as if these books are a ledger of transactions. They aren't. Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald reporter who basically broke this whole case open, has been saying for years that the black book is a "red herring."
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Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were social climbers. Professional ones. Every time they met someone even remotely important at a cocktail party or a gallery opening, they grabbed their info. They were "collecting" people. Being in the book doesn't mean you were on the island. It just means Epstein had your phone number and probably your home address.
- Fact: The book includes roughly 1,731 names across different versions.
- The Reality: Most of these people were business associates, celebrities met in passing, or service workers.
- The Scandal: The real "list" isn't a book at all; it’s the flight logs and the deposition testimony from victims like Virginia Giuffre and Maria Farmer.
What's Actually in the New 2026 DOJ Releases?
As of January 2026, the DOJ has finally started releasing the "Sentinel" files—over 300 gigabytes of data stored in the FBI's case management system. This is the stuff that was actually used as evidence.
Is it the "smoking gun" everyone expected? Sorta. It’s less about one single list and more about thousands of photos, emails, and internal memos. Recently, the House Oversight Committee released over 33,000 pages. We saw photos of Mick Jagger and Bill Clinton. We saw photos of Epstein with Donald Trump. We even saw a bizarre "birthday book" filled with letters sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
But the DOJ is still redacting a ton. They have to. There are over 1,200 victim names in these files. Protecting their privacy is a legal requirement, which is why a lot of the documents look like a crossword puzzle filled in with black ink. This has led to a lot of friction in Congress. Democrats and Republicans are both accusing the DOJ of being too slow or too secretive. Honestly, it feels like the more they release, the more questions we have.
The Flight Logs are the Real Map
If you want to know who was actually around Epstein when things were happening, you don't look at the little black book Epstein kept in his desk. You look at the flight logs.
These logs, often referred to as the "Lolita Express" manifests, are far more damning because they show physical presence. We know now that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s Boeing 727 at least four times in the early 2000s, traveling to places like Thailand and Brunei. We know Prince Andrew was a frequent flyer.
But even the logs are complicated. Just because someone was on the plane doesn't automatically mean they were involved in crimes. It's about the "totality of the circumstances," as lawyers like to say. Who was on the plane at the same time as the victims? That’s where the actual investigative work happens.
Redacted vs. Unredacted
There is a huge difference between the versions of the book floating around.
- The Gawker Version (2015): Names only, very redacted.
- The 8chan/Internet Archive Version (2019): Unredacted. This one has the raw phone numbers and home addresses. It’s what journalists used to start cold-calling people.
- The DOJ Phase 1 Release (2025/2026): These are official government records, but they are often the most redacted of all to comply with privacy laws.
Misconceptions You Should Stop Believing
Let's clear the air on a few things.
First, owning the book isn't illegal. A guy in Vermont named Christopher Helali bought one of the original copies on eBay and has been showing it to reporters for years. He even wears gloves when he touches it. It’s a piece of "criminal memorabilia" now.
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Second, the "list" isn't a secret document that the government is hiding to protect one specific party. Both major political parties have names in that book. That’s why the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed with a nearly unanimous vote—427 to 1 in the House. Everyone wants to look like they are the ones fighting for the truth.
Lastly, being in the book doesn't mean you’ve been subpoenaed. Many people in there, like Michael Jackson or Leonardo DiCaprio, were mentioned in depositions only because victims were asked if they had ever met them. In Jackson's case, the witness said she met him but he didn't do anything wrong. Nuance matters.
Actionable Insights: How to Navigate the Noise
If you are trying to stay informed without falling down a conspiracy rabbit hole, here is how you should actually look at this stuff.
Follow the Primary Sources
Stop reading "thread" summaries on social media. Go to the House Oversight Committee website or the DOJ’s public affairs page. They are the ones actually hosting the 33,000+ pages of records.
Check the Dates
A lot of the "new" leaks are just old documents from 2015 or 2019 being recirculated as if they just came out. If a "list" you see doesn't have a 2025 or 2026 DOJ watermark, it's probably old news.
Look for Corroboration
A name in the black book is a "maybe." A name in the black book plus a flight log entry plus a mention in a victim's deposition is a "probably." That is how you build a real picture of who was in Epstein's inner circle.
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Understand the Legal Limits
The DOJ has made it clear: no "client list" exists in the way people imagine it. There is no document titled "People Who Paid Me for Crimes." There is only a mountain of circumstantial evidence that investigators are still picking through.
The saga of the little black book Epstein is far from over, but it’s moving out of the realm of mystery and into the realm of public record. The best thing you can do is stay skeptical of the "viral" claims and stick to the documents that are actually being signed off by the courts.
Next Steps for Deep Research:
- Download the Official DOJ Phase 1 Releases: Search the Justice.gov "Electronic Freedom of Information Act" (E-FOIA) library for the most recent "Epstein Investigative Files" batches.
- Cross-Reference with the 2024 Flight Logs: Use the searchable databases provided by investigative outlets like The Guardian or The Miami Herald to see if names in the black book overlap with specific travel dates to Little St. James.
- Monitor the 2026 Deadline: Keep an eye on the House Oversight Committee’s schedule for the next batch of "Sentinel" files, which are expected to include more photographic evidence and internal FBI memos.