July 2024 Added: … Lee Glover Remembers That => ZMM Book’s John Sutherland Said He Took The Photo, That Forms The Mountain, River, & Bridge, Part Of The Scene, Shown On The Back Cover Of The Bantam New Age Edition, Of ZMM Book.

Explanation By Henry Gurr =>
…As you see in the above image => The ZMM Bantam back cover shows a mountain, valley, river, and (look close), a bridge”, which are revealed with a magnifying glass, I believe the PhotoShop Image Artist, started with a real photo such as John Sutherland’s, thus giving sharp edges of the mountain edges & other details seen: Then added Man & Boy & Motorcycle, as a paste-on, and then added to the cover’s image upper left, the Vertical Wall Looking Granite Mountain Tops: I believe this “Granite Mountain Top”, was added above the Mountains in John Sutherland’s original photo.

Explanation By Henry Gurr Continued:
…Since the “Vertical Wall Looking Granite Mountain Tops” are very distinctive, I spent a lot of time, using Google Street View, looking for such a view, and found nothing even close, especially along the ZMM Route. Hence my belief these are purely the Bantam Cover Artist’s inventions and additions!!
….And it is good to know that => John Sutherland said he took the photo, despite what Wendy Pirsig said in earlier email. Thus, I’m inclined to believe that the basic central photo for the artist’s Bantam Cover was John Sutherland’s. I think his memory was pretty good.

In a September 27, 2021 Email, Concerning The Back Cover Of ZMM, Lee Glover Said => I
…I think this was an artist rendering based on John’s photo. Perhaps that is why they thought no credit was needed. …. The mountains in the background, especially Emigrant Peak, are too accurate to be just a drawing. It was clearly based on a photo. Plus, John said he took the photo.”

In a September 27, 2021 Email, Concerning The Back Cover Of ZMM, Gary Wegner Said =>
…On the back cover of my beat-up 1975 Bantam paperback. The part of the picture showing father, son and bike is an artist’s rendering. For example, compare the real bike [same as Pirsig’s and] Note the curve of the exhaust pipes and the placement of the mirrors, etc. etc.. The bike on the back cover looks more like an old BSA or Triumph. I’d bet father and son are also renderings.”

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