Featuring long-awaited selections from Robert M. Pirsig's unpublished writings from before and
after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance an original collection illuminating the
central theme of Pirsig's thought: ?Quality? ?The ultimate goal in the pursuit of excellence is
enlightenment." ?Robert M. Pirsig 1962 More than a decade before the release of the book that
would make him famous Robert M. Pirsig had already caught hold of the central theme that would
animate Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : ?Quality ? a concept loosely likened to
?excellence ? ?rightness ? or ?fitness? that Pirsig saw as kindred to the Buddhist ideas of
?dharma? or the ?Tao.? As he later wrote in Zen ?Quality is the Buddha.? Though he was revered
by fans who considered him a guru the famously private Pirsig published only two books and
consented to few interviews and almost no public appearances in later decades. Yet he wrote and
thought almost continually refining his ?Metaphysics of Quality? until his death in 2017. Now
for the first time readers will be granted access to five decades of Pirsig's personal
writings in this posthumous collection that illuminates the evolution of his thinking to an
unprecedented degree. Skillfully edited and introduced by Wendy K. Pirsig Robert's wife of
four decades the collection includes previously unpublished texts speeches letters
interviews and private notes as well as key excerpts from Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle
Maintenance and his second book Lila . Since its publication in 1974 Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance has established itself as a modern classic of popular philosophy
selling millions of copies and inspiring a generation while serving as a perennial touchstone
for the generations that follow. On Quality is a remarkable contribution to our understanding
of one of the most influential thinkers and writers of our time.
