Robert Shields (diarist)

Robert Shields (May 29, 1918 – June 28, 2007) was an American diarist best known for his meticulously detailed diary, spanning 37 years and totaling approximately 37.5 million words. He meticulously recorded virtually every aspect of his daily life, including bowel movements, food intake, and thoughts.

Born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada, Shields was a high school teacher and later a professor of English at Washington State University. His extensive diary became the subject of a non-fiction book, Robert Shields' Diary, edited by John Byrum, which offered a condensed version of his life's work and provided insights into his motivations and the nature of obsessive-compulsive behavior. The diary is considered a unique and significant record of one man's life and an example of extreme autobiographical documentation. It is archived at Washington State University. Shields' motivation for the diary remained somewhat enigmatic, though theories included a desire for self-understanding and immortality through meticulous documentation. His meticulousness and dedication to his project resulted in a work of unusual scope and detail.