Part art book, part popular science, Space Dogs: the Story of the Celebrated Canine Cosmonauts evolved from a private collection of objects, which turned into a photography project. Not so surprising, considering that the collector and artist in question is Martin Parr, a celebrated photographer based in Bristol, UK. But why did he spend 20 years collecting memorabilia related to the Russian space dogs of the 1950s and 1960s?

Aside from the quirkiness factor, the objects form a record of a less-well-known story from the history of space travel, which is here told by science journalist Richard Hollingham, alongside Parr’s photos of his memorabilia collection and original press photos of the doggy heroes and heroines (mostly the latter).

From the dozens of dogs used in secret early experiments in low-pressure chambers and in suborbital flights, to the media furore surrounding the Soviet Union’s famed mongrel Laika and her successors, Hollingham packs plenty of fascinating detail into a small space. He explains why there were so many stray dogs on the streets of Moscow and the criteria for which strays were selected by Soviet scientists – including the requirement that they be light-coloured to show up well on TV cameras.

Hollingham doesn’t shy from including the sad deaths of some dogs, or the suffering that many survivors endured, though he also includes details of how well-loved they were by their team of scientists, doctors and engineers. The book devotes most of its pages to Laika, Belka and Strelka – the most famous and celebrated space dogs – but does find room for other canine characters. For example, the book talks about Ugolek and Veterok, the dogs whose mission lasted for 22 days in 1966 (they held the record for the longest spaceflight of any creature until 1971); and Tsygan and Dezik, the first dogs to experience suborbital flight, in 1951.

Parr’s photographs are equally revealing. In a Soviet Russia where individualism was deterred and celebrity shunned, the state not only deliberately turned its animal cosmonauts into superstars, but it did so through an array of commercial products. There are clocks, stamps, plates, books, confectionary boxes, pen holders and much more. And did you know there was a Russian-made “Laika” brand of cigarettes that lasted until 1990?

This small book is stylishly designed, striking a balance between humour, pathos, historical facts and adorable photos of dogs. What more could you want?

• 2019 Laurence King 128pp £12.99