THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250430
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
A specially inscribed copy of ``Look Homeward Angel'' that Tom Wolfe gave to his mother now has a new home at Wolfe's alma mater.
The rare first-edition and five other copies inscribed to family member were given to the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The book from Wolfe to his mother is inscribed ``To my mother, Julia E. Wolfe, I present this copy of my first book, with love, and with hope for her happiness and long life.''
They were presented on behalf of Wolfe's nieces and nephews to honor to his late sisters and brothers. The donors were Virginia G. Wilder of Washington, D.C., and Deitz Wolfe of Sellersburg, Ind., as well as the late William O. Gambrell, Miriam E. Gambrell, David W. Gambrell, Fredricka G. Gennett, George B. Gambell and Edward C. Gambell.
The books will be part of the Thomas Wolfe Collection, which began with several hundred letters, scrapbooks, clippings, photographs and other mementoes given by Wolfe's siblings in 1950 to honor their parents, W.O. and Julia E. Wolfe, and now includes more than 15,000 manuscripts, books and other items.
``The novel depicts what is arguably the best-known mother-son relationship in American literature,'' said Robert Anthony, curator of the N.C. Collection. ``Since much, although not all, of the novel is autobiographical, we are simply thrilled to have Mrs. Wolfe's personal copy of her son's most famous work.''
The family's gift also includes three copies of ``Of Time and the River'' and two copes of ``From Death to Morning'' inscribed for author's mother and sisters. by CNB