diff --git a/include/wx/html/helpctrl.h b/include/wx/html/helpctrl.h
index b1808aa4bd..f168680ad5 100644
--- a/include/wx/html/helpctrl.h
+++ b/include/wx/html/helpctrl.h
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ class WXDLLEXPORT wxHtmlHelpController : public wxHelpControllerBase // wxEvtHan
         virtual wxFrame *GetFrameParameters(wxSize *size = NULL,
                                    wxPoint *pos = NULL,
                                    bool *newFrameEachTime = NULL);
+
+        // Sets the specified book or all books to have the given base path
+        virtual void SetBookBasePath(const wxString& basePath, int which = -1);
+
         virtual bool Quit() ;
         virtual void OnQuit() {};
 
diff --git a/include/wx/html/helpdata.h b/include/wx/html/helpdata.h
index e5b96e3965..2f6b2b534e 100644
--- a/include/wx/html/helpdata.h
+++ b/include/wx/html/helpdata.h
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ class WXDLLEXPORT wxHtmlBookRecord : public wxObject
         int GetContentsStart() const { return m_ContentsStart; }
         int GetContentsEnd() const { return m_ContentsEnd; }
 
+        void SetTitle(const wxString& title) { m_Title = title; }
+        void SetBasePath(const wxString& path) { m_BasePath = path; }
+        void SetStart(const wxString& start) { m_Start = start; }
+
     protected:
         wxString m_BasePath;
         wxString m_Title;
diff --git a/src/html/helpctrl.cpp b/src/html/helpctrl.cpp
index 31a5df2dd6..3924519147 100644
--- a/src/html/helpctrl.cpp
+++ b/src/html/helpctrl.cpp
@@ -248,5 +248,20 @@ bool wxHtmlHelpController::Quit()
     return TRUE;
 }
 
+// Sets the specified book or all books to have the given base path
+void wxHtmlHelpController::SetBookBasePath(const wxString& basePath, int which)
+{
+    size_t i;
+    for (i = 0; i < m_helpData.GetBookRecArray().Count(); i++ )
+    {
+        if (i == (size_t) which || which == -1)
+        {
+            wxHtmlBookRecord& book = m_helpData.GetBookRecArray()[i];
+            book.SetBasePath(basePath);
+        }
+        if (i == (size_t) which)
+            return;
+    }
+}
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/html/helpdata.cpp b/src/html/helpdata.cpp
index c0e111ba76..1cea81737b 100644
--- a/src/html/helpdata.cpp
+++ b/src/html/helpdata.cpp
@@ -91,11 +91,12 @@ class HP_TagHandler : public wxHtmlTagHandler
         wxHtmlContentsItem *m_Items;
         int m_ItemsCnt;
         wxHtmlBookRecord *m_Book;
+        bool m_firstTime; // For checking if we're adding sections at level zero, so we 'delete' the first one
 
     public:
         HP_TagHandler(wxHtmlBookRecord *b) : wxHtmlTagHandler() 
 	        { m_Book = b; m_Items = NULL; m_ItemsCnt = 0; m_Name = m_Page = wxEmptyString; 
-		      m_Level = 0; m_ID = -1; }
+		      m_Level = 0; m_ID = -1; m_firstTime = TRUE; }
         wxString GetSupportedTags() { return wxT("UL,OBJECT,PARAM"); }
         bool HandleTag(const wxHtmlTag& tag);
         void WriteOut(wxHtmlContentsItem*& array, int& size);
@@ -117,10 +118,10 @@ bool HP_TagHandler::HandleTag(const wxHtmlTag& tag)
         m_Name = m_Page = wxEmptyString;
         ParseInner(tag);
 
-        if (!m_Page.IsEmpty())
-        /* should be 'if (tag.GetParam("TYPE") == "text/sitemap")'
-           but this works fine. Valid HHW's file may contain only two
-           object tags:
+        if (tag.GetParam("TYPE") == "text/sitemap")
+
+        // if (!m_Page.IsEmpty())
+        /* Valid HHW's file may contain only two object tags:
            
            <OBJECT type="text/site properties">
                <param name="ImageType" value="Folder">
@@ -137,8 +138,18 @@ bool HP_TagHandler::HandleTag(const wxHtmlTag& tag)
            condition because text/site properties does not contain Local param
         */
         {
-            if (m_ItemsCnt % wxHTML_REALLOC_STEP == 0)
-                m_Items = (wxHtmlContentsItem*) realloc(m_Items, (m_ItemsCnt + wxHTML_REALLOC_STEP) * sizeof(wxHtmlContentsItem));
+            // We're reading in items at level zero, which must mean we want to specify
+            // our own 'books', so chuck out the first (empty) one that AddBook already
+            // created
+            if (m_firstTime && (m_Level == 0) && (m_ItemsCnt > 0))
+            {
+                m_ItemsCnt --;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                if (m_ItemsCnt % wxHTML_REALLOC_STEP == 0)
+                    m_Items = (wxHtmlContentsItem*) realloc(m_Items, (m_ItemsCnt + wxHTML_REALLOC_STEP) * sizeof(wxHtmlContentsItem));
+            }
             m_Items[m_ItemsCnt].m_Level = m_Level;
             m_Items[m_ItemsCnt].m_ID = m_ID;
             m_Items[m_ItemsCnt].m_Page = new wxChar[m_Page.Length() + 1];
@@ -147,6 +158,8 @@ bool HP_TagHandler::HandleTag(const wxHtmlTag& tag)
             wxStrcpy(m_Items[m_ItemsCnt].m_Name, m_Name.c_str());
             m_Items[m_ItemsCnt].m_Book = m_Book;
             m_ItemsCnt++;
+
+            m_firstTime = FALSE;
         }
 
         return TRUE;
diff --git a/src/html/helpfrm.cpp b/src/html/helpfrm.cpp
index 9914d5817f..d4bdeeeaf1 100644
--- a/src/html/helpfrm.cpp
+++ b/src/html/helpfrm.cpp
@@ -1100,8 +1100,11 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnToolbar(wxCommandEvent& event)
                 if (ha && ha->m_Index > 0)
                 {
                     wxHtmlContentsItem *it = m_Data->GetContents() + (ha->m_Index - 1);
-                    m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
-                    NotifyPageChanged();
+                    if (it->m_Page[0] != 0)
+                    {
+                        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
+                        NotifyPageChanged();
+                    }
                 }
             }
             break;
@@ -1125,8 +1128,11 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnToolbar(wxCommandEvent& event)
                     while (ind >= 0 && it->m_Level != level) ind--, it--;
                     if (ind >= 0)
                     {
-                        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
-                        NotifyPageChanged();
+                        if (it->m_Page[0] != 0)
+                        {
+                            m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
+                            NotifyPageChanged();
+                        }
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -1149,8 +1155,12 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnToolbar(wxCommandEvent& event)
                     wxHtmlContentsItem *it = m_Data->GetContents() + (ha->m_Index + 1);
 
                     while (it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page == adr) it++;
-                    m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
-                    NotifyPageChanged();
+
+                    if (it->m_Page[0] != 0)
+                    {
+                        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
+                        NotifyPageChanged();
+                    }
                 }
             }
             break;
@@ -1270,7 +1280,8 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnContentsSel(wxTreeEvent& event)
     {
         it = m_Data->GetContents() + (pg->m_Id);
         m_UpdateContents = FALSE;
-        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
+        if (it->m_Page[0] != 0)
+            m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
         m_UpdateContents = TRUE;
     }
 }
@@ -1280,7 +1291,8 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnContentsSel(wxTreeEvent& event)
 void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnIndexSel(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
 {
     wxHtmlContentsItem *it = (wxHtmlContentsItem*) m_IndexList->GetClientData(m_IndexList->GetSelection());
-    m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
+    if (it->m_Page[0] != 0)
+        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
     NotifyPageChanged();
 }
 
@@ -1318,7 +1330,8 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnIndexFind(wxCommandEvent& event)
                 displ++;
                 if (first)
 		        {
-                    m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(index[i].m_Book->GetBasePath() + index[i].m_Page);
+                    if (index[i].m_Page[0] != 0)
+                        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(index[i].m_Book->GetBasePath() + index[i].m_Page);
                     NotifyPageChanged();
                     first = FALSE;
                 }
@@ -1348,7 +1361,8 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnIndexAll(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
         m_IndexList->Append(index[i].m_Name, (char*)(index + i));
         if (first)
 	    {
-            m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(index[i].m_Book->GetBasePath() + index[i].m_Page);
+            if (index[i].m_Page[0] != 0)
+                m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(index[i].m_Book->GetBasePath() + index[i].m_Page);
             NotifyPageChanged();
             first = FALSE;
         }
@@ -1365,7 +1379,8 @@ void wxHtmlHelpFrame::OnSearchSel(wxCommandEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
     wxHtmlContentsItem *it = (wxHtmlContentsItem*) m_SearchList->GetClientData(m_SearchList->GetSelection());
     if (it)
     {
-        m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
+        if (it->m_Page[0] != 0)
+            m_HtmlWin->LoadPage(it->m_Book->GetBasePath() + it->m_Page);
         NotifyPageChanged();
     }
 }