On Quality

<p><strong>Featuring long-awaited selections from Robert M. Pirsig's unpublished writings from before and after <em>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance </em>an original collection illuminating the central theme of Pirsig's thought: Quality</strong></p><p><em>The ultimate goal in the pursuit of excellence is enlightenment. --Robert M. Pirsig 1962</em></p><p>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 <em>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</em>: 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 Skillfully edited and introduced by Wendy K. Pirsig Robert's wife of four decades the collection includes previously unpublished texts speeches letters interviews and private notes as well as key excerpts from <em>Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle Maintenance</em> and his second book <em>Lila</em>.</p><p>Since its publication in 1974 <em>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</em> 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. <em>On Quality</em> is a remarkable contribution to our understanding of one of the most influential thinkers and writers of our time.</p>