ROGET’S THESAURUS
Not a rare type of dinosaur, this wonderful list of vocabulary on a large scale, categorized by topics has earned an enduring reputation as a handy aid to composition. Nouns, verbs and adjectives are all widely represented, although not the dreaded adverb.
Roget’s Thesaurus was born out of need. As a young and busy doctor, who was much given to lecturing, Peter Mark Roget felt the need to improve his powers of expression.
A compulsive list-maker from the age of eight, Roget devised a ‘classed catalogue of words’ for his own use in 1805. However, it was not until he was in his seventies in 1852, that the first edition, called the ‘Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition’ was printed.
Roget’s life was marked by several depressing incidents. His father and his wife both died young; while his beloved maternal uncle committed suicide in his presence. Roget struggled with depression for most of his life. It is believed that his work on the thesaurus arose partly from an effort to battle it.
Roget’s Thesaurus has been reprinted and revised many times since its original publication. My copy, a school prize no less, was the ‘New Edition, Completely Modernized and Abridged by Robert A. Dutch, and was hot off the press when I received it at the end my first year of high school in 1975. Doesn’t that date me!
I do still use my Roget from time to time. Okay, I know that Microsoft Office has its own in-built Thesaurus which can be handy, but it’s not anyway near as rich in vocabulary as Roget. Nor can you hold it in your hands and browse from section to section, as one intriguing word either spotted or remembered, takes you on a magical mystery tour for another.
I have to approach him with a degree of respect though, as my poor old paperback copy is rather delicate now, with loose pages and whole sections coming adrift at the seams. I hope I’ve worn a little better over these past 40-odd years.
But I wouldn’t be without him, my reliable old friend, Roget.
luna's on line 
It is fascinating how things come to be. I never knew this. I can see now why he worked and created in order to deal with his depression. Creativity is a wonder drug. Thank you for sharing this.
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Interesting, isn’t it? I never knew that he was a doctor either until I looked into it.
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Oh, I’ve been hankering for a copy of my own! Out of interest, have you used Thesaurus.com? And if you have, how does it compare with Roget? I’m asking because I find it handy, and am curious as to whether it comes anywhere near Roget’s richness. 🙂
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I hadn’t come across thesaurus.com so I popped over and had a look. Interesting site; you could lose yourself in there forever! I’m not sure you can compare the two in a very meaningful way. One very obvious difference is that thesaurus.com has a lot of modern idioms and examples of usage. I’m not sure what the latest version of Roget is like. My copy is very old but it does the job for me.
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Yeah, Thesaurus.com is handy for being so available, I suppose. I, at least, find it easier to check a word with a few clicks while I write, rather than leaf through a physical book. But regardless, I’d like a copy of Roget. 😀
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I agree for a quick check online is much easier. As I said in my post, I usually use the one attached to Word. However, I will have Roget by my side when I start to edit my latest novel. Almost there!
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