ARLINGTON — When Larry Starr was editing his grandfather’s original manuscript, he came across references to “the war veterans.”

Not thinking much about it, he continued his painstaking work of transcribing onto his computer his grandfather’s first-person accounts of lumber harvesting in the late 19th century.

Then the context of the work hit him — “He was referring to the Civil War.”

More than 70 years after he started writing the manuscript, Will H. Verd’s book has found new life thanks to his grandson.

The book, called “The Story of a Great Forest: 1888-1951,” chronicles the logging industry in the Snohomish County area during the lumber boom years.

Verd began writing the book in the 1930s and concluded his work shortly before he died in 1954. Although Verd pitched the book to a number of publishers during his life, he was unable to print the book.

“He had wanted to get it printed, but nobody wanted to do it for him,” said his daughter, 97-year-old Helen Starr of Arlington. “He couldn’t afford to have it published in the 1950s. Now we can.”

A couple of years ago, Larry Starr found one of two original manuscripts of his grandfather’s books in Helen Starr’s home, and decided that he would get the document printed through an online publisher.

Larry Starr spent more than four months reading Verd’s work and re-typing it on his computer. Shortly after he started, he realized that there were pictures that accompanied the manuscript.

Fortunately, Verd had made a second copy, complete with original photos, that Starr was able to track down and scan.

“I put it together and my wife and sister proofread it,” Starr said. “We converted it to (Adobe) Acrobat and sent it off.”

He originally made 50 copies of the book — 15 went to members of the family and the remaining 35 went to the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum.

Those extra books, which were priced at $20 a piece, quickly sold out.

“They wanted to know if we could give them more,” Starr said.

The museum has now sold 120 books, prompting Starr and his mother to print several runs of additional books.

The book’s popularity has also garnered awards. In January, Larry and Helen Starr received the 2009 Malstrom Award from the League of Snohomish County Heritage Organizations, which recognizes the year’s most outstanding heritage or history related project.

Verd’s book primarily details the area’s rich logging history, as well as the people that helped shape the land and the tools that they used.

He originally came with his father to the Northwest in the 1880s, and by the 1890s they had established a logging camp in Bryant.

During that time, fir trees in the area were between 500-1,000 years of age and were up to 275 feet tall — “one of the Northwest’s finest forests,” Verd wrote.

Verd eventually got into the shingle business despite his father’s warnings to stick to logging. Most of the book discusses the challenges and conditions that workers faced during that era.

“There are some good stories in there,” Helen Starr said.

For more information or to purchase a copy of the book, visit the museum, located at 20722 67th Avenue NE.