Items related to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Softcover

  • 3.78 out of 5 stars
    235,290 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780099786405: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Synopsis

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" caused a sensation when it was first published in 1974. The story of the narrator, his son Chris and their month-long motorcycle odyssey from Minnesota to California profoundly affected an entire generation. Both personal and philosophical, this book is a compelling study of relationships, values, madness and, eventually, enlightenment.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review

In his now classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig brings us a literary chautauqua, a novel that is meant to both entertain and edify. It scores high on both counts.

Phaedrus, our narrator, takes a present-tense cross-country motorcycle trip with his son during which the maintenance of the motorcycle becomes an illustration of how we can unify the cold, rational realm of technology with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry. As in Zen, the trick is to become one with the activity, to engage in it fully, to see and appreciate all details--be it hiking in the woods, penning an essay, or tightening the chain on a motorcycle.

In his autobiographical first novel, Pirsig wrestles both with the ghost of his past and with the most important philosophical questions of the 20th century--why has technology alienated us from our world? what are the limits of rational analysis? if we can't define the good, how can we live it? Unfortunately, while exploring the defects of our philosophical heritage from Socrates and the Sophists to Hume and Kant, Pirsig inexplicably stops at the middle of the 19th century. With the exception of Poincaré, he ignores the more recent philosophers who have tackled his most urgent questions, thinkers such as Peirce, Nietzsche (to whom Phaedrus bears a passing resemblance), Heidegger, Whitehead, Dewey, Sartre, Wittgenstein, and Kuhn. In the end, the narrator's claims to originality turn out to be overstated, his reasoning questionable, and his understanding of the history of Western thought sketchy. His solution to a synthesis of the rational and creative by elevating Quality to a metaphysical level simply repeats the mistakes of the premodern philosophers. But in contrast to most other philosophers, Pirsig writes a compelling story. And he is a true innovator in his attempt to popularize a reconciliation of Eastern mindfulness and nonrationalism with Western subject/object dualism. The magic of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance turns out to lie not in the answers it gives, but in the questions it raises and the way it raises them. Like a cross between The Razor's Edge and Sophie's World, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance takes us into "the high country of the mind" and opens our eyes to vistas of possibility. --Brian Bruya

From the Publisher

The extraordinary story of a man's quest for truth. It will change the way you think and feel about your life.

"The cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"

"The study of the art of motorcycle maintainence is really a study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon." -- Robert M. Pirsig

"Profoundly important... full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas... It is intellectual entertainment of the highest order." -- The New York Times

"It lodges in the mind as few recent novels have... The book is inspired, original... As the mountains gentle toward the sea--with father and child locked in a ghostly grip--the narrative tact, the perfect economy of effect defy criticism... The analogies with Moby Dick are patent. Robert Pirsig invites the prodigious comparison... What more can one say?" -- The New Yorker

"It's a miracle.. sparkles like an electric dream. Freshness, originality... that seduces you into loving motorcycles, as tender in their pistons as the petals in the Buddah's dawn lotus." -- The Village Voice

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherVintage/Ebury (a Division of R
  • Publication date1991
  • ISBN 10 0099786400
  • ISBN 13 9780099786405
  • BindingPaperback
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Number of pages416
  • Rating
    • 3.78 out of 5 stars
      235,290 ratings by Goodreads

Buy Used

Condition: Very Good
May have limited writing in cover... Learn more about this copy

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to basket

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Robert Pirsig
Published by Vintage Classics, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.69. Seller Inventory # G0099786400I4N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 10.36
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Robert Pirsig
Published by Vintage Classics, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.69. Seller Inventory # G0099786400I3N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 10.36
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Robert Pirsig
Published by Vintage Classics, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.69. Seller Inventory # G0099786400I3N10

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 10.36
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

-
Published by -, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780099786405

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 5.58
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 6.34
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 3 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Robert-pirsig
Published by Vintage/Ebury (a Division of R, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Softcover

Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.71. Seller Inventory # 0099786400-2-3

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 12.62
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Pirsig, Robert
Published by Vintage/Ebury (a Division of R, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom

Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars 4-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR001130019

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 5.55
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 7.11
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 16 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Pirsig, Robert
Published by Vintage/Ebury (a Division of R, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom

Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars 4-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001130781

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 5.55
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 7.11
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 4 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Robert-pirsig
Published by Vintage/Ebury (a Division of R, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Softcover

Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Shows only minor signs of wear, and very minimal markings inside (if any). 0.71. Seller Inventory # 353-0099786400-vrg

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 12.96
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Robert-pirsig
Published by Vintage/Ebury (a Division of R, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Softcover

Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.71. Seller Inventory # bk0099786400xvz189zvxgdd

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 12.96
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

-
Published by - -, 1991
ISBN 10: 0099786400 ISBN 13: 9780099786405
Used Paperback

Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780099786405

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 5.58
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 8.87
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 3 available

Add to basket

There are 32 more copies of this book

View all search results for this book