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"...science fiction is sort of like a sociological genome. It's a huge range of possible futures, most of them useless; some vital. You never really know in advance."
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![]() As far as I know, this is the first instance of the phrase "space-lanes".
The idea of "space lanes" seems clear; the term is analogous to "sea lanes", the well-trafficked courses that merchant ships take from one port to another. However, since the various bodies of the solar system are in constant motion relative to each other, and since the entire solar system itself is moving through space around the center of the galaxy, which is itself moving through space, the idea of static space-lanes seems unworkable. But it's a great concept for story writing.
Another instance can be found in the excellent 1934 short story Cosmic Teletype by Carl Jacobi. Jospeph Rane, injured during college and missing part of his brain, turned what was left to scientific pursuits. He succeeded in constructing a device able to contact inhabitants of distant worlds.
The messages were in code; but once translated, they revealed an entire civilization at war.
A decade later, this expression was in common usage; here's an example from One Against the Legion (1939) by Jack Williamson:
By the 1950's, this phrase had become a cliche. Take a look at this ironic excerpt from Philip K. Dick's short story Sales Pitch:
Compare to spaceways from Shambleau (1933) by CL Moore. Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This | Additional
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Science Fiction
Timeline
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'What would you do,' Eric asked the robot cabdriver, 'if your wife had turned to stone, your best friend were a toad, and you had lost your job?'
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'Now, except for weight and heat, the same conditions prevail in this chamber as in space.'
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'there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net...'
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'Now, look, let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics...'
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'..the synthetic intellects at the Place of Knowledge had far outstripped the minds of men.'
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'But after washing and drying clothes had to be smooth - free from fine lines and wrinkles ...'
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