Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

New York: William Morrow, (1974). First edition, 1st printing. 8vo. 412 pp. Original charcoal colored paper boards over charcoal quarter cloth, stamped in silver, in original unclipped ($7.95) dust-jacket. Light toning, edge wear, particular to spine ends and corners, small tears and chips to edges. Mild handling and shelf wear. Protected in archival mylar. Book is tight, mostly square but with a forward lean and firm. Bump to front panel bottom corner. Pulling at the spine crown and foot, which is commonly found. Some splash soiling marks to page edges. Light curling to spine ends, mild toning toward panel edges. Pages clean, text unmarked, stray pen mark to bottom text block fore edge.

Dust Jacket: Good

Hardcover: Good

“The title is an apparent play on the title of the 1948 book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig 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." Pirsig received 121 rejections before an editor finally accepted the book for publication—and he did so thinking it would never generate a profit. 50,000 copies sold in the first three months, and more than 5 million in the decades since.” Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, in his book review for The New York Times, wrote, “I now regret that I lack the expertise in philosophy to put Mr. Pirsig's ideas to a proper test, for this book may very well be a profoundly important one—a great one even—full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas. I just don't know. But whatever its true philosophical worth, it is intellectual entertainment of the highest order.”