Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig

Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig, 1974-2004

Overview of the Collection

Creator: McWatt, Anthony Michael
Title: Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig
Dates: 1974-2004
19742004

(bulk 1993-2002)
19932002
Quantity: 1.3 linear feet
Collection Number: Collection 2630, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary: The Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig includes correspondence, monographs, audio cassettes, and CDs. The materials were compiled by Dr. McWatt to provide insight into Pirsig’s philosophy.
Repository: Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Dr. Anthony M. McWatt is based in Liverpool, England. He received his Master of Arts in Socio-Legal Studies in 1990 from the University of Sheffield. Dr. McWatt began to correspond with Pirsig in 1993 after sending him a copy of his MA thesis which drew heavily on Pirsig’s work. Pirsig returned the thesis with annotations and a letter of encouragement. Dr. McWatt developed his research on Pirsig’s metaphysics into a doctoral thesis titled A Critical Analysis of Robert Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality. He corresponded for over a year with Pirsig for clarification and explanation on the aspects of his thinking. Dr. McWatt received his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Liverpool in 2005. He first visited Montana State University in 2006 for the film project On the Road with Robert Pirsig.

Robert Pirsig was an instructor of English for Montana State College from September, 1959 to June, 1961. Pirsig is the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a fictional account of his motorcycle trip from Minnesota to California with his son and coming to terms with his nervous breakdown. According to Robert Pirsig, Dr. McWatt, comes closest to being a dharma successor of his work on Metaphysics of Quality. Pirsig defines dharma as a duty that transcends one’s own personal sense. The comprehensive nature of Dr. McWatt’s questioning encouraged Pirsig to more fully articulate his arguments thereby creating a collaborative relationship and he readily acknowledged the importance Dr. Mcwatt’s development of the Meatphysics of Quality.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig includes correspondence, monographs, audio cassettes, and CD Roms. The materials were compiled by Dr. McWatt to provide insight into Pirsig’s philosophy. The collection has been organized into four series. Items of interest include two signed and inscribed copies of Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and a bound copy of Dr. McWatt’s A Critical Analysis of Robert Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Series 1 Robert Pirsig Letters, 1993-2000

Series 2 Pirsig Correspondence, 1993-2002

Series 3 Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Series 4 Dr. Anthony McWatt Research Notes, Theses, and Lecture Notes

Acquisition Information

The Dr. Anthony M. McWatt Collection on Robert Pirsig was purchased from Sotheby’s in London, England in January 2018.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2018 February 24

Related Materials

Collection 2571 Robert and Genevieve DeWeese Collection on Robert Pirsig, 1970-2007

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: Robert Pirsig Letters, 1993-2000Return to Top

Series one includes 40 Robert Pirsig letters, including one by Wendy Pirsig, to Dr. Anthony McWatt; most are signed, some are printed replies to email. These letters discuss Pirsig’s Philosophical theories, especially the Metaphysics of Quality (MOQ), Zen Buddhism, his books Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, and Dr. McWatt’s own reading. Also discussed are Dr. McWatt’s interpretation and critique of Pirsig’s work, advice to Dr. McWatt on dealing with academia and developing both his thoughts and his career (1993-2000), enclosures that include a copy of Dr. McWatt’s MA thesis which is extensively annotated by Pirsig. These letters have been organized chronologically.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	Robert Pirsig	1993
1/2	Robert Pirsig	1994
1/3	Robert Pirsig	1995
1/4	Robert Pirsig	1996
1/5	Robert Pirsig	1997
1/6	Robert Pirsig	1998
1/7-8	Robert Pirsig	1999
1/9	Robert Pirsig	2000

Series 2: Pirsig Correspondence, 1993-2002Return to Top

Series two contains the contents of five binders that Dr. McWatt labelled “Pirsig Correspondence January 1993-[December 2002].” The binders contain print-outs of email correspondence between Pirsig and Dr. McWatt (bulk 2000-2002), photocopies of Pirsig’s letters to Dr. McWatt, retained copies of Dr. McWatt letters to Pirsig, correspondence (mainly photocopies) between Dr. McWatt and other researchers working on Pirsig’s Philosophy, and research papers. Correspondants include Robert Pirsig and his wife Wendy Pirsig, as well as Bodvar Skutvik who is a Norwegian painter, artist, and writer. The binders have been arranged numerically; correspondence within the binders reflect the chronological arrangement of the creator.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/10	Pirsig Binder 1, Introduction
1/11	Pirsig Binder 1	1993
1/12	Pirsig Binder 1	1994
1/13	Pirsig Binder 1	1995
1/14-15	Pirsig Binder 1	1996
1/16-18	Pirsig Binder 2	1997
1/19-20	Pirsig Binder 2	1998
1/21-23	Pirsig Binder 3	1999
1/24	Pirsig Binder 3	January-April 2000
1/25-27	Pirsig Binder 4	May-December 2000
1/28	Pirsig Binder 4	January-March 2001
1/29-30	Pirsig Binder 5	April-December 2001
1/31	Pirsig Binder 5	January-December 2002

Series 3: Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceReturn to Top

Series three consists publications produced by Robert Pirsig as well as research material. Publications include Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Lila: An Inquiry into Morals. Formats in this series include, monographs, audio cassettes, and CD Roms.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/32	Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, London Laid in documents	1974
Box
2	Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, London	1974
2	Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, New York	1999
2	Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Audio Cassette, Las Angeles, California	1996
2	Reviews: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals
2	Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, Santa Ana, California	1992

Series 4: Dr. Anthony McWatt Research Notes, Theses, and Lecture NotesReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 2

Series four comprises Dr. McWatt’s research notes, theses, lecture notes, a draft MA thesis, and a bound coup of his doctoral thesis A Critical Analysis of Robert Prisig’s Metaphysics of Quality. Also included are notes for a series of lectures on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, photocopies and correspondence relating to Pirsig.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/33	Dr. Anthony McWatt Research Notes and MA Thesis	circa 1989-1990
1/34	Dr. Anthony McWatt, A Critical Annalysis of Robert Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality – PhD dissertation	May 2004
1/35	University of Liverpool, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, LV083-508, Correspondence	circa December 16, 1997
1/36	University of Liverpool, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, LV083-508, Lecture Notes	January-March 1998
1/37	Dr. Anthony McWatt Notes and Correspondence	1998-1999

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