Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is a book by Robert M. Pirsig first published in 1974. A work of fictionalized autobiography, it became an instant bestseller. It is the first of Pirsig's texts in which he discusses his concept of Quality. 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 a publisher finally accepted the book for publication—and he did so thinking it would never generate a profit. It ended up selling 50,000 copies in the first three months and more than 5 million since.

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