PARIS – A compendium of local literature will be up for grabs at a gala event Saturday at the Paris Public Library.

The two volumes of the “Norway-Paris Reader” will be available at the event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each volume comprises about 300 pages and will sell for $39.95. According to Peter Lenz, who started the project, there will be about 30 volumes available at the event, as well as order forms for people who are unable to purchase a volume.

Profits from sales of volumes will go to the children’s programs at the library.

Lenz said the idea for the collection gradually developed out of a project he started to record the stories of older community members. Some of the pieces in the “Reader” date back to 1987, when he started collecting; others, such as historical documents, go back further. The volumes contain work from local authors, including literature, poetry, history, humor and sermons.

“It’s a wonderful hodgepodge,” Lenz said. “It’s a treasure trove.”

He said he expects there will be about “a dozen and a half” of the featured authors present for the release.