“E. B. White on Dogs,” published last spring, was not a planned project for Martha White.

White was selecting pieces from her grandfather’s work for “In the Words of E. B. White; Quotations from America's Most Companionable of Writers” (published in 2011). She decided to begin filing pieces according to subject matter, and one of those subjects was dogs. As the dog file grew larger and larger, the thought occurred to her that dogs would make a great subject for another book.

“It was a surprise to me. There was so much of it,” White said in phone interview January 2. “Most of the pieces weren't new to me, just forgotten. I decided to pull the best ones, although some of the essays are only about dogs peripherally.”

White has many favorites among her grandfather's works, his dog show pieces in particular. E. B. White's 1947 essay published by the New Yorker on February 22 entitled, “Dog Show Obedience Contest” contains her favorite last line: “The Dog Show is the only place I know of where you can watch a lady go down on her knees in public to show off the good points of a dog, thus obliterating her own.”

In “Architects and Dachshunds,” published September 3, 1949, E. B. White describes how the family dachshund, Fred, navigated the steep staircases in their old New England home.

“The first paragraph of 'Dog Training,' is a favorite, with the line about how Fred (another dachshund) liked to pause in the doorway. It reads, “... he stops in the middle and lights a cigarette, just to hold me up,” said White.

Although she said she was always more of a reader than a writer as a child, it could be said she was being groomed for her destiny way back when.

“I used to write letters to my grandparents when I was away at camp or college or when they were away,” White said. “My grandmother was a children's book reviewer and would return my letters marked up in red pencil,” White said, laughing. “She couldn't help it and I didn't mind. She did that to my siblings too, or, at least I think she did.”

White said she truly didn't mind, because she loves the writing form of the letter. She has written about all sorts, from kid's letters from camp to love letters to Christmas newsletters.

Like her grandfather, White is a dog lover, author and essayist. She is also an accomplished journalist and editor. A full-time freelance writer and editor since 1987, White has extensive background in opinion columns, journalism, syndicated features, book reviews, humorous articles, fiction and essays.

Not wanting to “make it” riding on her grandfather's coattails, White never told anyone who her grandfather was. In fact, it wasn't until she was executor of his estate that the jig was up.

“In general, I write about the small moments of our lives,” White said. “From keeping a small flock of hens to gardening or traveling or waiting patiently for a child to be born. Many of my essays and articles for “The Old Farmer's Almanac” were about the natural world, from the moon and the tides to keeping goats or pigs or raising a kitchen garden for herbs or home remedies.”

White believes the best essays are the ones that center on something going on in the writer's life with a local and global connection.

She finds her grandfather's essays to be “beautiful pieces of descriptive writing,” citing the “Architects and Dachshunds” piece as an example.

White recalled being 17 years old and reading a copy of her grandfather's book, “The Trumpet of the Swans,” hot off the press. He waited nearby, fidgeting, to find out if his granddaughter liked his book.

“My grandfather was not a confident man and (he was) humble about his own writing,” White said. “He was self-critical, never feeling he had done something to perfection.”

“E. B. White on Dogs,” was a year-long project for White. The book was published by Tilbury House, Publishers in Gardiner, Maine in the spring of 2013.

Prior to this last book, White was the editor of her grandfather's biographical book of letters when it was revised and updated in 2006. His goddaughter, Dorothy Lobrano Guth, had helped E. B. White put the first edition together. It was published in 1976.

“After my grandfather's death in 1985, it became apparent that the second edition should include the last 10 years of additional letters, as well as some previously unpublished photographs,” White said. A revised volume of this collection was published by HarperCollins in November of 2006.

Now ready to begin something new, White is getting back to firing off some freelance work.

She recently mailed out a humorous essay on the popular “Words With Friends” online word game, which is similar to Scrabble.

White has always been drawn to fiction writing. As a college student, she expected it would be her life's work, but, as it turns out, her livelihood has drawn from the world of non-fiction.

“I like essays because you can pick and choose your topics, which change as your life changes,” White said. “For me, it's a creative outlet. I do have a book that has been on the shelf for awhile and I would like to swing back over that way.”

Find out more about White's grandfather, the recently published “E. B. White on Dogs,” and about White herself at the January 10 Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library Literary Luncheon. For more information on the event, call Barb House at 207-563-3112. For more on Martha White, visit www.marthawhite.net.