Where do classics come from?

Quotes from R. McIntosh, "Citation Classics of Ecology"

"A less professional recognition was given to a Scottish landlady who fed J. H. Connell very economically, and stretched out his G. I. Bill funds. [...] Collateral stimuli were attributed by some authors to liquid refreshments ranging from soup to bitters and to the cup that cheers without inebriating, tea."

"Several [Ecological Classics] were explicitly considerations or tests of theory, and some urged the utility of theory as a guide in their research. Paul Dayton, however, among others, had reservations. He commented, 'Ecology often seems dominated by theoretical bandwagons driven by charismatic mathematicians; lost to many is the realization that good ecology rests on a foundation of solid natural history...'"