Builder of Heavens

In the late eighteenth century, Eise Eisinga, living in the small university town of Franeker, built a magnificent model of the solar system. When it was finished, news of his Planetarium spread rapidly all over the world. In this book, Arjen Dijkstra tells a delightful new story about Eisinga’s life and the creation of the Franeker Planetarium. He draws upon dozens of previously unknown sources to put together a remarkable picture of the Builder of Heavens, placing Eisinga in the context of major economic, political and scientific change.
The Planetarium was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2023. 

Arjen Dijkstra, PhD (b. 1979) is the director of Tresoar, Museum, Archive and Library Fryslân in Leeuwarden. He specialises in the history of science. 

‘Rigorous, thoughtful and gently myth-busting’ – David Mitchell 
‘Beautifully, colorfully, even lovingly’ – Dava Sobel 
‘Read this book!’ – Ben Feringa