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. Years in the writing and rejected by 121 publishers, this modern epic of a man's search for meaning became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974. Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, it continues to inspire millions of readers. This 25th Anniversary Edition features a penetrating new Introduction by Robert Pirsig, in which he reveals his original intention about the book's controversial ending, as well as important typographical changes reflecting his ideas.
An autobiography of the mind and body, the book is a narration of a motorcycle trip taken by a father and his eleven-year-old son; a summer junket that confronts mortal truths on the journey of life. As the miles pass, the mind expands, and the narrator's tale covers many topics, from motorcycle maintenance itself through a search for how to live, an inquiry into "what is best," and the creation of a philosophical system reconciling science, religion, and humanism.
Unwanted and unbidden is the narrator's confrontation with a ghost: his former self, a brilliant man whose search for truth drove him to madness and death. This ghost, Phaedrus, haunts the narrator as he and his son visit places where they once lived. And, too, he confronts his deteriorating relationship with his son, who has himself been diagnosed as suffering the beginning symptoms of mental illness.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance speaks directly to the confusions and agonies of existence. In his intimate detailing of a personal and philosophical odyssey, Robert M. Pirsig has written a touching, painful, and ultimately transcendent book of life.
"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"
One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it 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.
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Vendeur : Lacey Books Ltd, Cirencester, Royaume-Uni
Hardcover. Etat : Good. 1975 Bodley Head hardcover first edition, 4th printing. Light reading wear, small tears to edge of dustjacket, else very good condition. N° de réf. du vendeur LR-L0YE-ZQQ2
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, Royaume-Uni
Etat : Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. N° de réf. du vendeur rev1693928709
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Lacey Books Ltd, Cirencester, Royaume-Uni
Hardcover. Etat : Good. 1974 Bodley Head hardcover first edition, 2nd printing. Light reading wear, scratch and nick to dustjacket, inscription and a little yellowing to endpapers, else very good condition. N° de réf. du vendeur L6-CK0A-C6EJ
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Appleford Bookroom, Abingdon, OXON, Royaume-Uni
Hardback. Etat : Very Good as New. Etat de la jaquette : Very Good Also UNCUT. First Edition 3rd Impression. 412 pp., , all bright, clean, unmarked text, as new binding with dj, Size: 8vo. Phiilosophy of Life. N° de réf. du vendeur 003041
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Sell Books, Elland, YORKS, Royaume-Uni
hardcover. Etat : Acceptable. Please see the condition note after this for details, if this is missing please consider Acceptable to mean poor quality that could include major staining, water damage, writing, missing dustjacket, etc etc. Our books are dispatched from a Yorkshire former cotton mill. We list via barcode/ISBN so please note that the images are stock images and may not be the exact copy you receive, furthermore the details about edition and year might not be accurate as many publishers reuse the same ISBN for multiple editions and as we simply scan a barcode or enter an ISBN we do not check the validity of the edition data when listing. If you're looking for an exact edition please don't order (at least not without checking with us first, although we don't always have time to check). We aim to dispatch prompty, the service used will depend on order value and book size. We can ship to most countries, see our shipping policies. Payment is via Abe only. N° de réf. du vendeur P-BCN00167-RAG-20231116-A
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : The Print Room, Cockernhoe nr Luton, Royaume-Uni
Hardcover. Etat : Very Good. Etat de la jaquette : Very Good. Jacket by John Sewell (illustrateur). 1st Edition. First UK edition, fourth impression, published the following year. Some edge wear and chipping to top and bottom of jacket and spine, corners very slightly rubbed, spine slightly yellowed, slight lean, not price clipped (£3.50), no inscriptions, internally clean and tight, overall a vg+ copy for its age. 412pp, illustrated. The book describes, in first person, a 17 day journey on his motorcycle from Minnesota to Northern California by the author (though he is not identified in the book) and his son Chris. They are joined for the first nine days of the trip by close friends John and Sylvia Sutherland who they part ways with in Montana. The trip is punctuated by numerous philosophical discussions, referred to as Chautauquas by the author, on topics including epistemology, ethical emotivism and the philosophy of science. The book sold more than five million copies worldwide and was originally rejected by 121 publishers, more than any other bestselling book, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Robert Maynard Pirsig (1928-2017), explains that, despite its title,'it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles either'. A cultural classic. N° de réf. du vendeur 011345
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Pulp Fiction Murwillumbah, Murwillumbah, NSW, Australie
Hardcover. Etat : Good. Covers are a little chipped and edgeworn. There is tanning and damp spotting to the sides of the text block. A few smudges within. Generally good though! N° de réf. du vendeur SSE863
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Occultique, Northampton, NORTH, Royaume-Uni
Hardcover. Etat : Very Good. Etat de la jaquette : NO Dustwrapper. The book that will change the way you think and feel about your life. Reprinted. Bodley Head Ltd, London 1974. 412pp hb bumped, some light splash marks on covers, previous owner's signature, vg. N° de réf. du vendeur 009112
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Sainsbury's Books Pty. Ltd., Camberwell, VIC, Australie
8vo, 412pp. A very good hardback copy with offsetting to endpapers and foxing to edges of text block. In a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with a faded spine. N° de réf. du vendeur 122607
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Orlando Booksellers, Lincoln, Royaume-Uni
Hardcover. Etat : Near Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Near Fine. John Sewell (Cover illustration) (illustrateur). First UK Edition. First impression of the first UK edition, with the iconic dustwrapper illustration by John Sewell. An unusually near fine book in a near fine dustwrapper. ***Near fine in dark brown cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The gilt is still beautifully bright having been protected by the dustwrapper. The boards are clean and unmarked, with the edges just slightly rubbed. No serious bumps or creases. - head and tail of spine just slightly creased. Corner tips sharp. Page block edges slightly marked but not foxed. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Internally also near fine with no previous ownership details. Pages very clean, with no foxing - just some light offsetting to the endpapers. No creases or tears. ***In a near fine colour-illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £2.95 net. The dustwrapper is correct for the first impression, having no mention of impressions on the front flap. Extremities of dustwrapper just very slightly rubbed and creased, mainly at the head of the spine and top edges of the foldover flaps. No chips, serious creases or tears. No fading except for the usual fading to the light green titles on the spine, which are now white. Dustwrapper bright and clean. ***224mm x 148mm. 412 pages. ***'This extraordinary, almost unclassifiable work has been hailed as one of the most exciting books to come out of America in recent years. On the simplest level, it is the story of a summer month's motorcycle trip taken by the narrator with his eleven-year-old son from their home in Minnesota to California. While they ride, the narrator delivers to the reader a series of discourses which range over a multitude of topics, from motorcycle maintenance itself, through a search for how to live and an inquiry into 'what is best' to a philosophy that can reconcile science, religion and humanism. ***But on another, and connecting, level the book is the story of the narrator's visit to the 'forgotten tomb of his past' and his confrontation there with a ghost. The ghost is called Phaedrus and is his former self, a brilliant, questioning man who in his attempt to make sense of his life went mad, underwent shock therapy and 'died' - and has now returned. He and his son have to face that ghost together. He also has to face the fact that his relationship with his son has been deteriorating during the journey. This is the last problem to which he finds a reconciliation. ***An Autobiography of the mind and the body, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" takes the reader on a trip - in a literal, emotional and philosophical sense - that is not only unforgettable but also unlike anything he has previously experienced.' ***'"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is an unforgettable trip'. Time magazine (Quote and review quote taken from the flaps of the dustwrapper) ***A superb example of the first impression of the first UK edition, in its original attractive colour-illustrated first impression dustwrapper, designed by John Sewell. First impressions of the UK first edition are hard to find now, and are almost always damaged in some way. Copies in such near fine condition are seldom seen now. A collector's copy of this cult classic. An iconic twentieth century literary and philosophical title. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc. N° de réf. du vendeur 9538
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)