At the risk of being a pedant...
I do sort of want to define what "canon" even means. According to Wiktionary.org (not cited so much because it's authoritative as because it's easy):
Quote:
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A generally accepted principle; a rule.
a formally codified set of criteria deemed mandatory for a particular artistic style of figurative art
The trial must proceed according to the canons of law.
A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.
The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.
the entire Shakespearean canon
A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon.
A religious law or body of law decreed by the church.
We must proceed according to canon law.
A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.
In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious order.
A piece of music in which the same melody is played by different voices, but beginning at different times; a round.
Pachelbel’s Canon has become very popular.
(Roman law) A rent or stipend payable at some regular time, generally annual, e.g., canon frumentarius
(fandom slang, uncountable) Those sources, especially including literary works, which are considered part of the main continuity regarding a given fictional universe.
A spin-off book series revealed the aliens to be originally from Earth, but it's not canon.
(cooking) A rolled and filleted loin of meat; also called a cannon.
a canon of beef or lamb
(printing, dated, uncountable) A large size of type formerly used for printing the church canons, standardized as 48-point.
The part of a bell by which it is suspended; the ear or shank of a bell[1].
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I think we can ignore the shank of a bell in this discussion--unless... aren't all the corner cases that stress any rules those that
don't fall beneath the canon of the bell-curve?
All of these largely go back to the idea of a list: the canons of ecclesiastical councils, which codified things such as the rules of the Church (i.e. canon law) and the list of what books are definitely in the Bible (i.e. the Canon of Scripture), and it's derivative of this original source that we get Wiktionary's
11th definition--the one that I think is normally what we mean around here:
"Those sources, especially including literary works, which are considered part of the main continuity regarding a given fictional universe."
Except, at least some of the time, and even on this forum, I think we've historically taken it even one step further than that:
"Those
events, especially those described in literary works, which 'actually' happened in the history of a given fictional universe."
And... well, there's a reason I put 'actually' in quotes: we're getting pretty close to full circle back to the Canon of Scripture and the Divinely Inspired Word of God if we're arguing over what "really" happened--even if, at times, I think that's what we've done.
I might only be speaking (sorry: writing) for myself, so the revelation as I've gotten older that it's a bit nonsense to speak of what really happened in a fictional world may be very old news indeed to those who've always know this. But--actually kind of going back to Tolkien as the Divine Author again--the canon was always in flux as long as Tolkien was writing it, and he could and did rewrite it at will, including the published works!
So, to answer the "canon" question, I find I have several answers:
What is the "Canon of Scripture": i.e. what are the "divinely inspired" works of Tolkien.
The Hobbit, LotR, Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Anything else is like the Apocrypha or Patristic fathers: i.e. it's of great value but it's not Authoritative. Basically, I think if Tolkien didn't publish it, it doesn't have authority in the same way.
What is the "Western Canon": i.e. what list of Tolkien books should/must every Tolkien fan read?
The Hobbit, LotR, the Silm, Unfinished Tales, the Book of Lost Tales 1&2, Adventures of Tom Bom, Farmer Giles, Smith of Wootton Major. At some point you have to draw the line... that's what I think the "essentials" are.
What "Actually Happened" in Middle-earth: i.e. how do I read the many works of Tolkien to decide what I, as a "historian," think actually happened?
I accept every Middle-earth thing Tolkien wrote, but where things contradict, I will always default to the published text, and to the LotR 2nd Edition above all. Where details conflict but none are in a published work, I will prefer the details contained in what work is most in agreement with the published text, then the work that is most complete, then the work that is latest in time of composition.
Is the above answer "my canon"?: No.