• Bovril Ad (1890) and manuscript of Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s The Coming Race (1871). The drink Bovril derived its name from 'Vril' and its association with power and energy. This comes from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's The Coming Race, in which the narrator accidentally finds his way into a subterranean world occupied by advanced beings, the Vril-ya, who use a substance Vril as an energy source which makes them powerful and potentially dangerous to the Earth. 

• Luigi Serafini, Codex Seraphinius (ed.1983). The Italian artist and designer Luigi Serafini produced an encyclopaedia of an imaginary world, in an imaginary language, which is as yet undeciphered. The first section appears to describe the natural world, dealing with flora, fauna, and physics. The second deals with the humanities, the various aspects of human life: clothing, history, cuisine, and architecture. 

• H G Wells, The War of the Worlds (1906). From its first appearance in Pearson’s Magazine in 1897, The War of the Worlds was a vastly influential description of an alien race. The narrator travels through the suburbs of London as the Earth is invaded by Martians. It is one of the earliest stories that details a conflict between mankind and an alien race. It is also variously interpreted as a critique of evolutionary theory, British imperialism, and generally Victorian fears and prejudices. 

Andy Sawyer, Director of Science Fiction Studies MA at the University of Liverpool and guest-curator of the exhibition commented: "There is no doubt that science fiction has split literary experts for decades and remains a source of debate and discussion across the world. What this exhibition shows is that science fiction is a way of asking questions about the world, its future, and our place in it that has roots in a number of literary traditions and cultures. What we call 'science fiction' has a long tradition and will continue to dominate popular culture for a long time to come."

Katya Rogatchevskaia, British Library co-curator of Out of this World, said: "This exhibition aims to show that science fiction provides a window on the world and society in which we live today. It pushes the boundaries of our imagination into uncomfortable and pleasant places and appeals to our desire to understand a deeper meaning of other worlds. We hope that visitors’ perceptions of science fiction will be challenged by this exhibition so that we can both celebrate the genre and use it as a warning for the future."

Science Fiction literature, films and television have been some of the most influential in terms of inspiring generations of scientists to develop new technology, search the cosmos for extra-terrestrial life and theorise about other universes.

The Library in London has shown three  Science Fiction classics : The Battle of Dorking; the World of Tomorrow and the Amazing Stories in Saving the Past: How Do they Do it? http://www.discoveryuk.com/web/sci-fi-season/?cc=GB

Illustrations:

(1) The Martians from H G Wells’s The War of the Worlds; as depicted by Alvim-Correa in the Belgian edition, La Guerre des mondes (Brussels, 1906) -  © British Library Board

(2) Kipling, With the Night Mail, 1909.  © British Library Board

(3) Raymond Taylor’s composition, A Signal from Mars, 1901.  © British Library Board

(4) Luigi Serafini, Codex Seraphinianus, 1976-1978.  © Luigi Serafini

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