The Man Who Made Lists by Joshua Kendall

Joshua Kendall's book, The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus, describes the life of Peter Roget and the influences that caused him to create his thesaurus. 

I was surprised at the breadth of Peter Roget's experience.  He published papers that helped with the log scale on the slide rule.  As a physician, his understanding of the human eye and his observations of wheel spokes through window slots paved the way for the motion picture industry.  He also helped to organize private libraries prior to the development of the Dewey Decimal System.

His personal life was marked by tragedy dealing with deaths and a family with a history of mental illness.

His thesaurus was 50 years in the making.  He used an early draft as a tool when he was lecturing on human physiology and when writing papers.  Peter Roget's live proves that it is never too late to have a second act or leave a lasting legacy. 

Joshua Kendall - The compulsive energy that shaped America - 59 minutes