Find Historical Site Information
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Dear Robert Pirsig Enthusiast
In your studies concerning the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, you may have discovered information concerning the whereabouts of the buildings, towns, highways, action sites, and natural scenery described in Pirsig's road trip through the American West. You are invited to contribute what you know to a collaborative effort to collect and make available historical information concerning this cross-country motorcycle journey.
If you have information please let me know by letter or email ( HenrySG at usca.edu ). Any information collected will be made available, by email, to all persons who send in information. You may also tell me what you think of the idea of starting a web site having ZMM historical and documentary information.
Some ZMM road map, travel route, and itinerary information is in Disanto and Steele's (history & literary) Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
The book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with total sales approaching 4 million copies and increasing acclaim, may become a classic and Pirsig perhaps will join the ranks of other greats such as Tolstoy, Dickens, Melville, etc (see "Best Books" lists below). In light of this, I believe an organized effort should be started to collect and document the physical location of the restaurants, motels, welding shops, travel landscapes, high country, hiking trails, mountain climbing scenes, views, and vistas, paths and streams, portrayed in ZMM.
You may find out more about this project and my interest in ZMM below. Thank you for your consideration of this proposal and send me a letter if you have information to offer.
Sincerely
Henry Gurr, Professor of Physics Emeritus
University of South Carolina Aiken
471 University Parkway
Aiken SC 29801
email: HenrySG at usca.edu
homepage:http://www.usca.edu/math/~mathdept/hsg/
PROPOSAL Identify Buildings and Route of Travel in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZMM), with nearly 4 million copies in print, has been widely read for over 25 years. In this time, many people have come to recognize the historical sites of events described in ZMM. For example, many people know the location of the English Department at Montana State University. But are the old offices that had Feininger’s abstract painting "Church of the Minorites" still there? Perhaps a few people know the exact (or probable) location of the "high quality owner crafted" motel that Pirsig describes as being just outside the gates of Yellowstone National Park. But is this motel still there? This is the motel which had the wonderful evening scene...... flowers, rushing mountain stream, evening breeze...... I certainly hope this motel still exists. Persons who have such knowledge may be willing to contribute what they know to a "data bank", which will collect and make available such information. I propose a collaborative effort be made to collect and share information concerning the locations of physical buildings, roads, natural scenes, etc. portrayed in ZMM. This effort would be similar to the preservation efforts of Local Historical Societies, who make records and museums of our past and put up Historic Marker Signs. Mr. Pirsig might help if he saw a serious effort taking place. This information would be of lasting value to present and future generations. Persons who want to contribute information should visit my new Zen and
the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance site Some of the buildings that still exist might eventually be designated as "Historical ZMM Landmarks", if the locations of these buildings could be documented and preservation efforts started now. The trip in ZMM, for literary reasons, may be quite different from the actual trip upon which the book is based. But this probably would not be an issue when it comes to an effort of documentation or historical preservation. I have studied over one hundred ZMM oriented web pages, which have been found with web search engines such as Google or Alta Vista. Although I have found much interesting information about ZMM, I have not found any "travel route" information beyond that given in The Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Steel and Disanto. (Web site, http://nova.com/roadwillys/index2.html , failed to pan out.) Currently I am contacting people who mention ZMM on their web site or have published articles concerning ZMM. Over 25 people, who have worked professionally with ZMM, have been sent an email describing this project and inviting them to let me know, if they have information they are willing to contribute. Anna Marie Roos, Professor of History, University of Minnesota Duluth, suggested I post my "Collect Historical Site Info" letter on http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/ . This is a list-serve having discussion groups in many topic areas in the Humanities. My letter went into H-IDEAS in late August. I will submit my letter to other topic H-NET areas as soon as possible. Ditto for other web based discussion groups. Mr. Pirsig, in a recent letter concerning ZMM stated: "It's holding up in the marketplace too with steady sales. The term, 'cult book' is now in almost complete remission in the ads and reviews, and here and there the term 'classic' has appeared". Concerning the Guidebook to ZMM he also says "I have heard from Bozeman that there has been a steady trickle of what they call 'Pirsig Pilgrims' who come through every summer following that route". Consciousness, Rivers, Landscapes and Pirsig Pilgrims: Professor Roos also directed my attention to the last page of http://www.richmond.edu/~rnelson/PandV/conclusion.html , which I have adapted into the following. Here, Prof. R. Nelson says "As the novel opens, the unnamed narrator is in motion, "heading northwest from Minneapolis toward the Dakotas" …….His purpose, he tells us, is to develop a Chautauqua that will "not . . . cut any new channels of consciousness but simply dig deeper into old ones that have become silted in with the debris of thoughts grown stale and platitudes too often repeated". The analogy here between a river and American cultural tradition continues to function…….as one of the controlling metaphors of the narrator's unfolding Chautauqua ……[and thus] becomes ……an attempt by the narrator to recover the ability and willingness to see beyond the 'channels of consciousness' to the landscape……[T]he narrator meditates on a certain ineffable quality he associates with the visually boundless landscape of the Great Plains: Professor Nelson suggests that the ZMM-enthusiast, (modern explorer), traveling west like Pirsig, would sense Pirsig's landscape in new or more profound ways. Eventually a ZMM Travel Guide could be prepared that would help the pilgrim. The enlightening experience, of the pilgrimage and the landscape, would then perhaps provide new ways of seeing "what is in front of you, around you, and within you". All this makes me think of ZMM p198: "…….He [Phaedrus] speculated that the other pilgrims, the ones who reached the mountain, probably sensed the holiness of the mountain so intensely that each footstep was an act of devotion, an act of submission to this holiness. The holiness of the mountain infused into their own spirit, enabled them to endure far more than anything he, with his greater physical strength, could take." High School, College, and University Students, who need a good research project, should join this search effort. Oral History buffs may find the search for ZMM history a high quality opportunity. Museums, Historical Societies, Libraries, Civic Organizations, and Chambers of Commerce may wish to join this collaboration as a means to promote local awareness and community pride. I first read ZMM back in 1988. And because I found this book quite valuable for myself, I decided that my students should also read it. From 1993 to 1998, ZMM has helped over 140 of my physics student improve their understanding of University Physics, and indeed their overall Liberal Arts Education. I have their writings to prove it. I don’t know exactly how to organize this effort, I am open to suggestions, and of course desire to hear from persons who have information to contribute. I have no vested interest in this project, except that I would like to see it happen. Someday I may become a "Pirsig Pilgrim"!! You too, could become a Pirsig Pilgrim. Please join-in and contribute to this effort. _______________________________________________________________________ Other Key Words and Phrases
Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance
Hardcover Book:
Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
by Ronald L. Disanto & Thomas J. Steele
(adapted from Amazon.com book reviews of ZMM)
When Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (ZMM) was first published in 1974, it cased a literary sensation. A combination of philosophical speculation and psychological tension, the book is a complex story of relationships, values, madness, and enlightenment.
The "Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (by Ronald L. Disanto & Thomas J. Steele) serves as a metaphorical "backpack of supplies" for the reader's journey through Pirsig’s original work. This [history & literary] guide book has 1) a map and itinerary of the motorcycle trip, 2) explanations of Zen practices, 3) several published literary reviews of ZMM, 4) an unpublished chapter that was eliminated from the original manuscript, 5) a complete listing (plus explanation) of the Pirsig’s "Master Motifs" used in ZMM, and much more. One reader stated: "For fans of ZMM, this is an incredible book that summarizes various aspects of the ZMM book. First and foremost, it gives you the necessary background on philosophy to get a better understanding of where the Pirsig is coming from." This guidebook is a great resource for persons who are using ZMM in their teaching. Highly recommended.
A Collection of "BEST BOOKS" Lists
Which Include Robert M. Pirsig’s
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
by Henry Gurr
A modest collection of "BEST BOOKS" internet documents which include Robert M. Pirsig’s book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. On these lists, Pirsig is listed with other greats such as Tolstoy, Tolkien, and Dickens. These lists support the worldwide significance (recognition) of Mr. Pirsig's work. This collection is just a start. I am sure there are many other entries yet to be found. The information below was obtained by "cut & paste", plus some editing, from the web site designated.
Books of The Century
In September 1996, Waterstones Book Stores of London England in association with Channel 4 Television conducted a United Kingdom search for the greatest books of the twentieth century. The 100 books listed here illustrate the incredible richness and variety of twentieth century literature. The following site worked once for me, but I could not get this web page on a second try.
http://s1.waterstones.co.uk/cgibin/wat01prd.storefront/1639014461/UserTemplate/29
Ramdom House Modern Library "100 Best Novels" Authors Choice "100 Best Novels" Readers Choice
Since the "100 Best" story first broke in The New York Times on Monday, July 20,1998, all kinds of opinions about the list - and theories about the Modern Library's purpose in concocting such a contest of sorts - emerged. The goal of the "100 Best" project was to get people talking about great books. We succeeded beyond our wildest imaginings — more than 400,000 avid readers rushed online to cast votes for their favorite books and the students of theRadcliffe Publishing Course quickly responded with rival list of 100 Best Novels.
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html
"THE LIST" by The Encyclopedia Britannica & The Access Foundation.
The Access Foundation mission is to serve as an online international repository of literary resources and knowledge on the internet for both independent and academic scholarship. Access Foundation, in conjunction with Britannica Online, now sponsors an acclaimed site titled, ACCESS THE GREAT BOOKS. As a resource of over 235 authors and their greatest works, it is referenced by [ie hypertext link to] thousands of colleges, universities, public, and private schools online. It is part of the Great Books Web Ring, and is the most extensive site for finding original online texts. [A note from hsg: Some listings are just the authors name and prominent works. Many listings will (with a mouse click) send a free down load of: excerpts, reviews, bios, & occasionally the complete work. The top listing for every author links to "search.britannica.com", which too often results in error message that says to go to http://www.britannica.com/ This (newer) web site is apparently Britannica's revised format and no longer fully compatible with links from http://www.anova.org/gb4.html A book download from http://www.britannica.com/ requires registering and payment of $5/month.]
Access Foundation = http://www.anova.org/gb4.html
Britannica Online = http://www.britannica.com/
Perennial Classics by Harper Collins Publishers
Harper Collins Perennial Classics brings some of the most celebrated and renowned books of our time to an even wider audience, in beautiful new editions enhanced with historical and biographical essays.
http://www.perennialclassics.com/titles.htm
If this does not work try the following, then click on "titles"
http://www.perennialclassics.com/
BookByers Book Company: Top 50 Philosophy Requested Titles Nov 1999
[A note from hsg: Bookbuyers apparently buy and sell a complete line of books. This web page lists the Top 50 Philosophy Titles their company handled as of Nov 1999.]
http://www.bookbuyer.com/aisles/category_files/ph.htm
The 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century
Compiled by Philip Zaleski, editor of The Best Spiritual Writing series. Based on nominations by Thomas Moore, Natalie Goldberg, Rodger Kamenetz, Harold Kushner, Lawrence Kushner, Christopher de Vinck, David Yount, Kabir Helminski, Helen Tworkov, Ron Hansen, Frederic Brussat, Joseph Bruchac, Huston Smith, Lawrence Cunningham, and John Wilson.
http://www.harpercollins.com/hc/aboutus/imprints/spiritbooks.htm
HONORS PROGRAM: COLLEGE AT SOUTHERN IDAHO
Goal of Honors Readings: To introduce students to key works of critical thinking in many disciplines and cultures as well as provide students with opportunities to meet one-on-one with faculty and staff.
http://www.csi.edu/ip/hon/readings.html
W505 Creative Writing for Educators
University of Indiana
This web site is among many which show the ZMM book as a major part of their writing program.
http://www.indiana.edu/~w505g/bibliography.html
Tarleton State University Writing Program
Also for an other good example of ZMM in a writing program at Tarleton State University.
http://www.tarleton.edu/~english/eng3303.htm