A man and his young son embark on a summer motorcycle road trip across America's Northwest, seeking to reconnect and explore the open country.

But this is no ordinary vacation. As the miles unspool, the journey transforms into a profound philosophical inquiry, a rolling Chautauqua that seeks to answer one of life's most essential questions: What is best?

On a vintage motorcycle, the narrator grapples not only with the mechanics of his machine but with the very nature of Quality itself. He confronts the deep split in modern life between a cold, rational view of technology and a romantic, emotional engagement with the world, searching for a way to heal the divide. Yet, the biggest questions lie within.

Dogging his every thought is the ghost of his former self, a brilliant and dangerous man named Phaedrus, whose obsessive pursuit of truth led to his own destruction. This cross-country odyssey is more than a search for answers; it is a confrontation with a haunting past, a flight for sanity, and a powerful meditation on how we ought to live.

This profound and deeply personal story is an exploration of life's most fundamental questions?a search for how to live, not just how to get by.

• A Father-Son Journey: Across the backroads of America, a man and his eleven-year-old son, Chris, share a motorcycle trip that uncovers the deep, complex, and often fraught bonds between them.
• The Philosophy of Quality: Through a series of philosophical discussions, or ?Chautauquas,? the narrator grapples with the essential nature of what makes something good, from a well-maintained engine to a well-lived life.
• Technology and The Human Spirit: The narrative explores the deep divide between those who run from the cold logic of machines and those who engage with it, seeking a way to unite our rational and creative selves.
• A Divided Self: Haunting the entire journey is the ghost of Phaedrus, a former self the narrator must confront, forcing a reckoning with his own past, his sanity, and the very nature of his identity.

Robert M. Pirsig (1928-2017) studied chemistry and philosophy (B.A., 1950) and journalism (M.A., 1958) at the University of Minnesota and also attended Benares Hindu University in India, where he studied Oriental philosophy. He is also the author of this book's sequel, entitled Lila.

THE CLASSIC BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED MILLIONS

A penetrating examination of how we live and how to live better

Few books transform a generation and then establish themselves as touchstones for the generations that follow. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one such book. This modern epic of a man's search for meaning became an instant bestseller on publication in 1974, acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters. It continues to inspire millions.

A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions on how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life.

This new edition contains an interview with Pirsig and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be.