Mennonite Life, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, will host a rare and used book auction as well as a series on speaking Pennsylvania Dutch conversationally.

The book auction will take place in the community room at Mennonite Life, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, on Friday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m.

Among the 400 lots in the auction are a complete 1749 Ephrata Cloister "Martyrs Mirror," a very rare 1685 Dutch "Martyrs Mirror," and an 1859 German New Testament with fraktur art by Barbara Ebersol. Also listed are a 1761 "Interpretation of the Two Letters of St. Paul to the Corinthians" by Siegmund Jacob Baumgarten in German; Philip Dietrich's 1811 "Enchiridion oder Handbuechlein"; Johann Friedrich Stark's "Daily Prayer Hand-Book," printed around 1700 in German; "Annals of the Conestoga" by Simpson and Mast; John Ruth's "The Earth Is the Lord's"; and a signed copy of "The Amish Year" by Rice and Steinmetz.

The auction will also include rare family Bibles, including a 1776 Bible printed by Christoph Saur formerly belonging to John Oberholzer. Various periodical sets will be available as well, including a complete set of "The Mennonite Community" ranging from 1947 to 1953, and a nearly complete set of "Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage" volumes 1 to 37.

Bids may be submitted at http://www.mennonitelife.org/events and by mail until Thursday, March 13. The auction books are on display in the Mennonite Life community room. To view the full catalog, visit the aforementioned website.

The series on conversationally speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, also known as Pennsylvania German, will take place in the Mennonite Life Community Room at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, July 15, and Aug. 19. People with all levels of experience are welcome, from beginners to fluent speakers.

The informal lessons will be based on the book "Speaking Amish: A Beginner's Introduction to Pennsylvania German" by Lillian Stoltzfus. Copies of the book are available in the Mennonite Life store and at http://www.mennonitelife.org/shop.

Participants should plan to attend all six sessions. Each session has a suggested donation. To register, call 717-393-9745 or email Ruth Martin at customercare@mennonitelife.org.