That isn't what I'm saying at all. I'm saying the books, as they appear in print, ARE canonical. The issue is whether or not something that does not actually appear in the book itself should be considered canon simply because it was the author's intention but somehow got edited out. There was an arrangement made between the authors and Frontier Developments that required the authors to work closely with Michael Brooks to make sure that what they wrote didn't contradict anything in the game. Therefore before something that didn't appear in the final, printed, versions of the text would have to be confirmed by Michael Brooks, as well as the authors, before being considered canon.