Scope & Contents Note
The William Heintz Collection contains a variety of his writings, from his early works to his later materials, including some of the more arbitrary things he has written. He had trouble finding work early in his career, taking the odd writing job (including radio scripts), some of which he mentions in letters he wrote home to his mother during this period. The collection contains many of his literary productions, as well as some of the periodicals they are found in. There are several unpublished essays and manuscripts as well. The aforementioned letters to his mother, plus other correspondence dealing with his books and correspondence with one of Napa Valley’s most famous winemakers, Brother Timothy Diener, are also part of this collection. There is an extensive collection of planners that cover over 20 years of his life, detailing daily events, and a writers’ journal he used for writing exercises and ideas. There are also two scrapbooks that were created by William meant to document his career, specifically the “Heintz on History” magazine series which appeared in the Wines and Vines magazine during the 1970s and 1980s. There are also some inventories of his personal collection of research material, like his wine history card catalog and oral history collection. There are a few personal materials, including some old family photographs and copies of his parents’ marriage certificate. Various miscellaneous items are included, such as computer disks, copies of old documents, and historic photographs.