Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: 25th Anniversary Edition by Pirsig, Robert (November 18, 1999) Paperback

Classic re-read I lovedit

A very I usual read but also a must read for everyone.

This is a fantastic book. Its split into two parts - one where a father and son go on a road trip on a motorbike - only using back roads. This is enjoyable in itself. The other part is heavy going. Its worth the effort though. Especially when he comes to the part where he defines quality. Its a head wrecker. I had to read that part several times - but again - well worth it. I dont want to add any spoilers. When it clicked and all came together - WOW. If you are buying a second hand copy - make sure it has the epilogue - it is very important

This book is a must for any true biker ! The book was delivered on time and as described

.Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance A Book by Robert M. Pirsig A short analysis A particular book that comes to mind when I'm thinking about influential reads is Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance . Now I must have read this classic numerous times since first discovering it in the late 1970s , mainly because it is a difficult book to comprehend in one sitting , and the last time I read Zen and the Art I was in hospital in February 2015. So Zen and the Art can be read within different levels of definition . It can of course be read purely as a motorcycle travelogue if you care to skip the philosophical chapters . It can also be treat as a study in relationship values . Or you could choose to read the book as one mans intellectual journey through a mid life crisis and his search for a meaning to life which eventually leads to a mental breakdown. This last analysis is of course the DNA of the book, and the only way to study this masterful piece of literature . So for those who have no familiarity with this book I will give a scenario of the "plot" so to speak , and try not to be overly subjective with any opinions that I may give. Initially I have to inform the reader that this book is generally accepted as being autobiographical , and this road trip actually took place . For me the opening paragraph gets me into this story immediately : "I can see by my watch, without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle , that it is eight-thirty in the morning . The wind , even at sixty miles an hour , is warm and humid . When it's this hot and muggy at eight - thirty , I'm wondering what it's going to be like in the afternoon ." So for me the involvement and the simplicity of this paragraph gets my interest straight away. The story is going to be told in the first person narrative , which I have always found attractive as a reader, and this storyteller is talking personally to me , so I'm part of this tale immediately . So this story is basically a motorcycle road trip across the prairies and backwaters of America with the subject, his son , and the storytellers two friends. Over the duration of the trip , our subject relates incidents , episodes and emotional aspects of his life, and also the connection he makes between motorcycle maintenance and differing personalities, and intertwines them with the road trip they are taking . So in it's basic condition , this is the level the story works from , but of course, it's the issues the storyteller relates to the reader, but can't talk about with his friends , that involves you in this book. So from the off you are led to believe the storyteller is returning to old ground previously visited , but that his son and friends are unaware of this fact. Unfortunately this old ground is full of ghosts , which the reader only becomes aware of as the story continues to be allowed to unfold . These ghosts though are no ordinary ghosts , but more of the mind , rather than the spirit world . So this road trip is a nostalgic journey in search of the truth , which however painful , needs to be faced. It's the story of one mans decline into intellectual madness , and his eventual sectioning , before, through therapy, one life is erased and a new one established. Now the question asked is : what turns this particular book into the iconic work of literature it has become ? Well I don't think intellectual , academic books are ever likely to attain cult status so there has to be more to it than word wizardry . My own opinion for the books success is this : Robert Pirsig bridges the gap between the idealism and yearning of people, the readers insatiability for travel , and their quest for answers to the deepest questions of life. To run these two issues concurrently was a stroke of genius. The adventure of the road trip coupled with the adventure of the mind was always going to be risky , but it worked to perfection . The story starts on a comprehensive level , where the road trip is eloquently described and the four principle characters introduced to the reader. The example he gives of the Sutherlands "dripping faucet" , comparing the dripping tap to many of the principles of life is a real beauty. But then the storyteller begins to examine the principles of life, the complexities involved in is own past , and just how he's going to deal with the road ahead. This work is a timeless piece of literature on many levels: the author manages to blend the optimism of the 1960s with the highly technical age that was to follow. He mixes the idealism of the traveler with the intellectualism of the academic. And finally he gives a blue print for a life , if the reader wishes to take it. This then is my favourite book read to date; it may be surpassed in time , but I doubt I have enough years left to find a better read . Sent from my iPad

Great buy, super book and nice cover. In good shape