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

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 

“An unforgettable trip.” - Time

“Profoundly important...full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas.” - New York Times

“It is filled with beauty. . .a finely made whole that seems to emanate from a very special grace.” - Baltimore Sun

“The book is inspired, original. . . . The analogies with Moby-Dick are patent.” - The New Yorker

“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance sold millions of copies and made Pirsig a reluctant hero to generations of intellectual wanderers…Zen was an instant classic — a work of literature that captured the spirit of its time and retained its appeal long after the hippie movement had faded.”  - Washington Post

“The truly great road trip novel. … Many former angsty teens will surely fondly recall their own dog-eared, heavily underlined copies of Pirsig’s book, and the initial joy that accompanied reading something that felt so specifically personal and yet so urgently universal. … Zen’s ongoing reprints, its devoted fan base, and the countless road trips and pseudo-spiritual journeys it’s inspired are indicative of the book’s ongoing appeal.”  - GQ

“A touchstone. … Pirsig’s plunge into the grand philosophical questions of Western culture remained near the top of the bestseller lists for a decade and helped define the post-hippie 1970s landscape.”  - New York Times

“Inspired college classes, academic conferences and a legion of 'Pirsig pilgrims' who retrace the anguished, cross-country motorcycle trip at the heart of his novel.”  - Los Angeles Times