Eve Babitz, Slow Days, Fast Company
Babitz, Eve. Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, the Flesh, and L.A. First Edition. 1977. Book and dust jacket in very good condition. There is a third-party gift inscription on the flyleaf, “5 July 1980, Caro Reginaldo—‘Cause you liked the other ‘—itz’ so much you must be exposed (?) to the West Coast’s own ‘—itz’ ~ I know you’ll see why ~ Toujours Ton ‘Renzo.”
Typically a third-party gift inscription detracts from a book’s value. Not so the intriguing message in this copy with a UK provenance. It hints at what eluded much of the New York literary world at the time. Eve Babitz’s blend of naïveté and sophistication made her the ideal writer to capture the gossamer quality of 1970s California. Unlike her friend and sometime mentor Joan Didion, who often observed California with a cool and skeptical eye, Babitz preferred to immerse herself in its temptations. This collection of essays, widely regarded as Babitz’s finest book, received critical praise when first published, but it would take decades for her reputation to catch up with her talent. As is often the case with such authors, first editions are now in high demand (hence the price of this copy).
“In Los Angeles it’s hard to tell if you’re dealing with the real true illusion or the false one.”
--Eve Babitz