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Cover of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert PirsigZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Classic · Nonfiction, Classics, Philosophy

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

by Robert Pirsig
1974 · 417 pages · Nonfiction
Critics' pick
≈ 10 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

A father and his young son take a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest, and the journey becomes a philosophical odyssey into the fundamental questions of how to live, and what quality really means.

Why it's worth reading

It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It's one of the most influential books of the past half-century.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

Its philosophical passages are long and demanding. It's more about ideas than motorcycles.

By the numbers

64.3Must-Read Score
  • Readers19 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller31 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
TIME All-TIME 100 Nonfiction

Reads as

Thought-provoking, True story, Moving

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Quick answers

Is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values worth reading?

Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It ranks #1,948 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 64.3 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values about?

A father and his young son take a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest, and the journey becomes a philosophical odyssey into the fundamental questions of how to live, and what quality really means.

How long does it take to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values?

About 10 hours (417 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values?

If you liked it, try Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, On the Road by Jack Kerouac or Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.