Being the Millionaires’ Magician has placed me into some pretty amazing situations. Like the time my client — a high-end Israeli jeweler — hired me to magically pull a $2 million diamond necklace out of thin air. Or the time I performed for a wealthy businessman in Omaha who owns the original Louisiana Purchase document, handwritten by Thomas Jefferson. He keeps it on display in a climate-controlled museum case in his basement.

Last night I was booked to perform at a private show for just eleven people, in a Madison Avenue apartment in New York City. As always, I will not reveal the names or details of any people present, out of respect for privacy. Needless to say there were several billionaires in the room.

During the show, I asked the host if he had a favorite book. He answered, “Yes, it’s To Kill A Mockingbird.” I inquired if he had that book handy. His eyes darted to the corner of the room, and I followed his gaze. There was a hardbound copy of this book on display in a special place on a side table. He said, “I have another copy in the next room, but the one over here is a first edition, first printing. It’s in mint condition, and extremely rare.”

I took a deep breath and picked up the book. This would be my first time performing magic with a book that (I later discovered) is worth $25,000.

Instead of my usual routine, in which I handle the book, I opted to let the host hold onto the book himself. I could see he was concerned about it being used as a show prop.

He opened up the book to a random page, mentally chose any word on the page, and closed the book. Standing five paces away from him, I looked into his eyes and told him the word – “ammunition.” He and the others jumped out of their seats. It was a great moment.

After the show, I asked if it would be alright to take a photo of the book. And as you can see from the above photo, he graciously said yes.

Would you like to hear more stories like this one? I have many more to share, but don’t want to sound like I’m bragging. Let me know what you think.