What is a canon of literary works? And does it matter anyhow? Is it something purely academic, or could it be useful if time-bound, and collecting a body of historical books which provide an integrated view of a time in history?

Here are some thoughts on a canon of 19th C non-fiction books on New Zealand, from the first in 1807 though to the end of the century. It has been whittled down to about 150 books, some obscure, but with a view worth regarding, others well-known.   There is even a graph.

You can read about this here.