Behind the words

Simon Winchester had an unexpected bestseller on his hands when he wrote "The Professor and the Madman" about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. So we shouldn't be surprised that there's a story behind the creation of Roget's Thesaurus, too, or that local author Joshua Kendall would write a book about it. He'll read from the "The Man Who Made Lists," which follows Peter Mark Roget's quest to make sense of the English language, tonight at Brookline Booksmith. 7 p.m. Free. Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-566-6660. brooklinebooksmith.com