Since space flight was achieved, and long before, science fiction writers have imagined a myriad of stories set in the depths of the great darkness beyond our atmosphere. From generation ships – which are in space so long that there will be new generations aboard who have never experienced planetary life – to orbiting satellites in the unforgiving reaches of the vacuum, there is a vast range of these insular environments in which innovative and emotionally complex stories may unfold.

With the British Library’s matchless collection of periodicals and magazines at his fingertips, Mike Ashley presents a stellar selection of tales from the infinite void above us, including contributions from Judith Merril, Jack Vance and John Brunner.