This is hard to review as it's on two opposite ends - fascinating subject satisfactorily explored and the purplest prose I've encountered. The history is dense, the math is surprisingly accessible, and the philosophy is heavily Christian. 
Is it possible that Kaplan is a fan of Good Omens, or is it just coincidence that there are multiple references to things found in that book? Ussher's prediction of the exact hour when the world would end, "prestidigitation" in the same paragraph as angels dancing on the head of a pin, among others. Perhaps those were just common topics decades ago 😂.