Van Campen Heilner

Van Campen Heilner
Born1899
Died1970 (aged 70–71)
Madrid
NationalityAmerican
Occupationauthor
Known forauthor of popular books on hunting and fishing

Van Campen Heilner (1899-1970) was an American sportsman, and author of works on hunting and fishing.[1] Heilner was born wealthy, his family's wealth, from coal mining, financed his hunting and fishing expeditions around the world.

Heilner's hunting and fishing companions included authors Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey.[1][2][3] Both Hemingway and Grey provided forewords for some of Heilner's books.

In 1920, when he was 21 years old, Heilner became an editor and contributor to Field and Stream magazine.[1] He lived for sometime on the island of Bimini in the Bahamas, B.W.I., and there discovered the charm and thrill of bonefishing. He is regarded on Bimini as the "father" of the island's bonefishing industry.

His 1937 book, Salt Water Fishing, remains a classic.

Heilner was associated with the American Museum of Natural History.[1] His obituary in The New York Times describes Heilner forming the theory that most sharks were harmless, and then proving it by swimming with many species of sharks, without harm.

Heilner was a co-founder, and vice president of the International Game Fish Association.[3]

On January 24, 1947, Heilner was staying overnight in the 173 year old mansion on historic Gardiners Island.[4] He was the sole occupant of the mansion, when it was swept by a devastating fire, that totally consumed the structure. He barely escaped by jumping from a second floor window.

Bibliography

  • Van Campen Heilner (1941). Our American Game Birds. Garden City Publishing Company.
  • Van Campen Heilner (1943). Salt Water Fishing. Knopf Publishing.
  • Van Campen Heilner (1930). Beneath the Southern Cross. R.G. Badger.
  • Van Campen Heilner (1922). Adventures in Angling - A Book of Salt Water Fishing. Read Books Design. ISBN 9781446021484.
  • Van Campen Heilner (1949). Our American Game Birds. Garden City Publishing Company.
  • Van Campen Heilner (30 October 2012). A Book on Duck Shooting. Read Books. ISBN 9781447499046.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Van Campen Heilner, Writer And Zane Grey Protege, Dead". The New York Times. Madrid. 1970-07-13. p. 31. Retrieved 2020-09-23. When Van Campen Heilner was 16 years old and a student at Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass., he took a fishing vacation in Florida, and one day, at Long Key met the author and outdoorsman Zane Grey. This chance meeting began a friendship between the two and sparked a career of adventure, exploration and writing for the young Mr. Heilner.
  2. ^ Christina Fitzpatrick; Stacey Flores Chandler (2019-09-05). "Collection Opening: Francesca LaMonte Personal Papers". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Retrieved 2020-09-23. Her work also put her in contact with prominent members of the IGFA, including Michael Lerner, William King Gregory, Van Campen Heilner, and Ernest Hemingway, an avid fisherman who included detailed descriptions of sport fishing and game fish in his writings.
  3. ^ a b Thomas H. Pauly (2007). "Zane Grey: His Life, His Adventures, His Women". University of Illinois Press. pp. 234, 270. ISBN 9780252074929. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  4. ^ Steven Gaines (2018). "Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons". Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316490276. Retrieved 2020-09-23.