Prior to reading this book, I knew Anders Celsius as the man who created the temperature scale most of the world uses. I did not know about all the other scientific work he was involved in. For example, he played a large role in determining the shape of the Earth, established the first serious observatory in Uppsala, studied magnetism, etc. he also influenced numerous other scientists who left their own mark. Surprisingly, this book spends very little time and space on his development of the temperature scale. One of the things that is really remarkable is that Celsius did all this despite dying relatively young (early 40s).

The account of Celsius' life was well-written and interesting. The author did an excellent job in bringing him and his colleagues back to life. The science in the book is broken down so it should be easily understood even if the reader doesn't have prior subject knowledge. There is also a good attempt to show the lasting impact and implications of Celsius' work. This is most successful when the author discusses the immediate aftermath of Celsius' death, and does a rundown of his closest colleagues and assistants. It is less successful when the author pretends to be Celsius and pens a letter that Celsius would have written to future generations. That merely comes off as self-aggrandizing and arrogant; it was a poor way to end the book. It was also not the first time the author intruded on Celsius's story; there are several points throughout the book where the author unnecessarily inserts himself, interrupting the flow of the narrative and detracting from the overall impact.

This book shows that Celsius did a lot more than just invent the Celsius temperature scale. It talks about how scientists worked together in the past and connects that to today’s problems, like climate change. Hembrow explains what life was like during Celsius’ time and shares many of the interesting things he did. The book also shows how arguments and politics got in the way of science. At the end, Hembrow makes a strong point: solving big problems today means working together and sharing ideas, just like scientists did back then.