Democratic politicians have released a 238-page scrapbook given to Jeffrey Epstein as a present on his 50th birthday, with contributions attributed to high-profile figures including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the current UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson.

Much of the book seems to be a collection of flattering and celebratory letters – often highly sexualised – from people who knew Epstein. They include photos of him embracing women in bikinis whose faces were redacted, and others showing scenes featuring wild animals having sex.

The committee on oversight and accountability, the main investigative body of the House of Representatives, released scanned pages of the 2003 book after public outcry in the US over allegations of elite figures’ hidden ties to the sex offender.

The book was compiled by Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in jail for recruiting and trafficking teenage girls for sexual abuse. It also contains an image of George W Bush, who was US president at the time, but there is no suggestion there is a note from him.

Here are some of the people and contributions included in the book, which is titled The First Fifty Years:

Apparent Trump letter says ‘we have certain things in common’

The most explosive section of the compilation is a birthday note contained within a sketch of a naked woman’s torso. The drawing has “Donald” signed below its pelvis, along with an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein.

A cryptic message quotes Trump as saying: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” wishing that “every day be another wonderful secret” and adding: “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?”

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported on the existence of the book and letter in July, prompting a $10bn defamation suit from Trump, who has denied drawing the figure or writing the note.

Another image shows Epstein standing among palm trees and holding an oversized cheque for $22,500 with a “Trump” signature on it. Partially redacted writing below the image says Epstein showed “early talents with money + women” and had sold a “fully depreciated [redacted] to Donald Trump”.

Bill Clinton listed as a friend

Bill Clinton, who had left the US presidency a couple years before the publication of the book, is listed in the “friends” section.

The document has a note sourced to Clinton, who appears to have written about Epstein’s “childlike curiosity” and a “drive to make a difference”.

Clinton’s office has not commented on the book. The former president has previously said he had cut ties with Epstein more than a decade before his arrest and was not aware of his crimes.

Mandelson calls Epstein ‘best pal’

A letter attributed to Mandelson lists Epstein as “my best pal” in a handwritten note, which is interspersed with photographs of the current UK ambassador to the US.

Mandelson, known in the UK as a high-profile politician and lobbyist, is cited as referring to Epstein as an “intelligent sharp-witted man”.

It reads: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life.” It later adds: “But wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”

A screengrab from Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book shows Peter Mandelson talking to Jeffrey Epstein. Photograph: Birthday book

Mandelson has previously said he regrets ever meeting Epstein or being introduced to him by Maxwell.

Photographs show Mandelson in shorts gazing from a balcony and in a white dressing gown laughing with Epstein.

I ‘sat on the Queen of England’s throne’

In a section of the book, titled “assistants”, an unnamed woman says Epstein has transformed her life, turning her from a “22-year-old-divorcee working as a hostess in a hotel restaurant” into a jet-setting traveller who mixes in elite circles.

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The woman said she had met Prince Andrew, Clinton, Trump, Naomi Campbell and Michael Jackson.

“I have flown on the Concorde, gone sky-diving, taken a flying lesson, been scuba-diving, para-sailing, attended a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace, sat on the Queen of England’s throne.”

It is not clear who showed the woman around the personal chambers of the palace and Buckingham Palace has not commented.

Prince Andrew was the subject of a 2021 civil lawsuit submitted in the federal court in New York by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged he had sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17. Giuffre, who took her own life in April, alleged Epstein and Maxwell had introduced her to Andrew in 2001, and that Maxwell forced her to have sex with the prince.

Andrew has repeatedly and strongly denied the accusations.

Drawing shows Epstein giving young girls balloons

One of the most striking images in the collection is a drawing of him handing young girls balloons and a lollipop in 1983, alongside another drawing of him 20 years later, receiving a massage from topless women in 2003.

One of the women has Epstein’s initials “JE” tattooed on her bottom.

An illustration from Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book Photograph: Birthday book

The image shows a private jet with the same tail number as Epstein’s infamous Lolita Express, which was at the centre of a sex-trafficking case filed against him before he killed himself in August 2019.

At the bottom of the drawing a caption reads: “What a great country!”

Huge contributor list puts many in the spotlight

In total, there are around 150 people named in the book, from well-known public figures to those in academia and law, to lesser known family members and friends.

Alan Dershowitz, a law professor who has represented Trump, was cited in a letter as joking he had convinced Vanity Fair magazine to write about Epstein’s success. Dershowitz has previously said he did not recall writing an entry for Epstein’s book.

Another note attributed to Leslie Wexner, a billionaire former CEO of a company whose brands included Victoria’s Secret and Bath + Body Works, wrote: “I wanted to get you what you want … so here it is.” It was followed by a drawing of breasts.

One of the main themes throughout the collection of letters is references to Epstein’s sexual desires, with one section titled “girlfriends” that appears to include letters from former employees who became sexual partners.

Much of that section is redacted, while other parts are unattributed, including a letter that describes a scene at sea in which men pick up “girls on a beach” and take them out in a boat.

It adds: “I tell them with knife in my hand to take their suits off.”