Question: Mentioning a book to an individual to include in their list as *classic* was met with...

> 
> I wouldn't call "Book Name" a classic - it's less than 11 years
>  old.
> 
> 
> 

This got me thinking about when a book or other item (car, slang, recipe, etc...) becomes a *classic*. In my initial investigation I stumbled upon this description...

> 
> A novel can be called a classic when there is a significant time
>  period between its publishing and the current age we are in. In other
>  words, it has to be old, as well as critically renowned as a good
>  novel. Then, it can be called a classic.
> 
> 
> 

While the above may help define what constitutes a classic, it doesn't define the amount of time that needs to pass before that criteria is met.

Does the designation *classic* truly imply that a significant amount of time has passed since the work's creation, and if so, how long must that period be to qualify as "significant"?

Answer: 
*Classic* as explained at [etymonline.com](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=classic) historically referred to standard authors of Greek and Roman antiquity. As an [adjective and noun](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/classic) it now means (a) "1, exemplary of a particular style; 2, exhibiting timeless quality" and (n) "1, a perfect and/or early example of a particular style; 2,an artistic work of lasting worth". Some books, films, and artistic works are of obvious quality when they first appear; others are not; any can be called classic in either sense even when they first appear. Some judgments hold, some do not.

An [ngrams](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=instant+classic%2Cold+classic%2Cnew+classic%2Cfavorite+classic&year_start=1970&year_end=2006&corpus=0&smoothing=3) for "instant classic,old classic,new classic,favorite classic" in recent years shows rising use of "instant classic". ![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhbYc.jpg)

For some reason, use of "favorite classic" has [exploded since 2006](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=instant+classic%2Cold+classic%2Cnew+classic%2Cfavorite+classic&year_start=1970&year_end=2010&corpus=0&smoothing=3).
To qualify as a classic, it should have stood the test of time. If a model of a car has been discontinued and no other model has earned as much acceptance in the time that usually takes for the older models to be forgotten in the light of newer, better ones, then the nice old model is rightly a *classic*! 

Applies equally well to literature or recipes?