Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [50th Anniversary Edition]: An Inquiry Into Values

Robert M. Pirsig

HarperCollins Publishers, Feb 13, 2024 - Art - 464 pages

50th anniversary edition * With a new foreword by Matthew B. Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft

The bestselling masterpiece about one man's search for meaning on a motorcycle trip through the American West-- an enduring examination of how we live and how to live better

One of the most important and influential books of the past half century, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is Robert M. Pirsig's classic exploration of human experience and endeavor. Pirsig's narrative of a father and son on a summer motorcycle trip becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.

"Profoundly important. . . . Full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas." --New York Times

About the author

Robert Maynard Pirsig was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 6, 1928. While serving in the Army, he visited Japan on a leave and became interested in Zen Buddhism. After his service, he received bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Minnesota. He later studied philosophy at the University of Chicago and at Banaras Hindu University in India. He taught writing at Montana State University in Bozeman and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was also a freelance writer and editor for corporate publications and technical magazines. His first novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, was published in 1974. His follow-up novel, Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals, was published in 1991. He died on April 24, 2017 at the age of 88.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [50th Anniversary Edition]: An Inquiry Into Values
• Author: Robert M. Pirsig
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2024
• ISBN: 0063342332, 9780063342330
• Length: 464 pages
• Subjects: Art / American / General; Biography & Autobiography / Memoirs; Philosophy / Eastern; Philosophy / Zen; Psychology / Emotions; Religion / Buddhism / History; Religion / Buddhism / Zen; Religion / Cults; Religion / Faith; Religion / History; Religion / Holidays / Other; Religion / Spirituality; Science / Life Sciences / General; Social Science / Holidays (non-religious); Technology & Engineering / Engineering (General); Technology & Engineering / History; Travel / Essays & Travelogues