Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974, transforming a generation and continuing to inspire millions. This 25th Anniversary Quill Edition features a new introduction by the author; important typographical changes; and a Reader's Guide that includes discussion topics, an interview with the author, and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be. A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.

罗伯特•M.波西格(Robert M. Pirsig)，1928年生于美国明尼苏达州双子城。15岁进入明尼苏达大学主修化学，后又学习哲学，之后在该校攻读传播学硕士；他曾到印度伯纳雷斯印度大学学习东方哲学，并担任修辞学教授。在追求真理的过程中，因为西方倡导的二元对立与二分法带来的分裂而困扰不已，因而一直试图寻找支离破碎的文化的整合之道，这些问题长久折磨着他并让他焦虑又烦躁。1961年他被诊断为偏执型精神分裂症和临床忧郁症，被多次送进医院。1963年起接受了多达28次的休克疗法，在此期间妻子与他离婚。后来他终于不再执着于自己的理论并且出院，转而开始潜心写作来表达自己的想法。1968年他与长子克里斯一起骑着摩托车从双子城出发，在中西部旷野、洛矶山区和西海岸从事心灵探险。他希望从狭窄而受限的自我解脱，于是才开始这场横跨美国大陆的万里长旅，一路经过复杂经验与反省思考，终于恢复了自我的完整。

本书出版后波西格一直过着隐居避世的生活，并与第二任妻子完成了横渡大西洋的轮渡之旅。