“It is extremely detailed, covering all aspects of Kapteyn’s life, and is liberally illustrated, especially with portraits. … This lengthy and detailed work will be an invaluable reference for historians of science.” (Derek Jones, The Observatory, Issue 1248, October, 2015)
“…van der Kruit’s biography is an authoritative and highly valuable contribution to the history of astronomy and a rich source of information concerning Kapteyn and Dutch and international astronomy ca. 1880-1920.” –Helge Kragh, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 46, Issue 4, November 2015
Jacobus C. Kapteyn (1851-1922) was a Dutch astronomer who contributed heavily to major catalogs of star positions, such as the Cape Photographic Durchmusterung and the Harvard-Groningen Durchmusterung, and arranged extensive international collaboration through his Plan of Selected Areas. He contributed to the establishment of statistical astronomy and structure and dynamics of the Sidereal System. All aspects of Kapteyn’s life are discussed, from his birth in Barneveld, the Netherlands, to his death in Amsterdam, and his entire resume of scientific achievements in between. Kapteyn had some conflicts with others in his field, especially after the world became divided on how to handle scientific contributions from Germany post-World War I. Both Kapteyn's struggles and achievements are written against the backdrop of both the historical context of the world at that time as well as the scientific one.
