Hello Reader, This week on the water Robert Pirsig’s 150 000 word novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, was a surprise bestseller when it was published in 1974. It was surprising because it was, essentially, a philosophical tract. It can best be summed up somewhat along these lines: A troubled philosopher embarks on a cross-country motorcycle journey with his son, interweaving motorcycle maintenance, personal crisis, and an examination of the concept of “quality" to reconcile...