diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index f67f4fef..23d4f1ab 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 25/6/14 started 7.40.2
 - dzsave write to zip stops at 4gb, thanks bgilbert
 - improve short option name handling, thanks bgilbert
+- added --enable-docs configure option to help freebsd
+- removed a bash-ism from configure to help freebsd
 
 24/6/14 started 7.40.1
 - revise man.1 pages
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 583d7bb1..6dc8431b 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@ P_COMPILE_DIR =
 P_DIST_DIR = swig
 endif
 
+if ENABLE_DOCS
+D_DIST_DIR = 
+D_BUILD_DIR = doc
+else
+D_DIST_DIR = doc
+D_BUILD_DIR = 
+endif
+
 SUBDIRS = \
 	libvips \
 	tools \
@@ -26,7 +34,8 @@ SUBDIRS = \
 	man \
 	doc \
 	$(C_COMPILE_DIR) \
-	$(P_COMPILE_DIR) 
+	$(P_COMPILE_DIR) \
+	$(D_BUILD_DIR) 
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
 	m4 \
@@ -38,15 +47,18 @@ EXTRA_DIST = \
 	acinclude.m4 \
 	depcomp \
 	$(C_DIST_DIR) \
-	$(P_DIST_DIR)
+	$(P_DIST_DIR) \
+	$(D_DIST_DIR)
 
 pkgconfigdir = $(libdir)/pkgconfig
 pkgconfig_DATA = vips.pc $(C_PKGCONFIG)
 
+if ENABLE_DOCS
 install-exec-hook:
 	-rm -rf ${DESTDIR}$(datadir)/doc/vips
 	$(mkinstalldirs) ${DESTDIR}$(datadir)/doc/vips
 	-cp -r ${top_srcdir}/doc/html ${top_srcdir}/doc/pdf ${DESTDIR}$(datadir)/doc/vips 
+endif
 
 dist-hook:
 # make sure we don't get any .svn dirs from EXTRA_DIST
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e036b3ed..7064e9d5 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -207,6 +207,20 @@ else
 fi
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(VIPS_ICC_DIR,"$profile_dir",[default directory for ICC profiles])
 
+# option to stop docs installing ... eg. freebsd likes this
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(docs, 
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-docs], [install docs (default: yes)]))
+
+if test x"$enable_docs" != x"no"; then
+  AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_DOCS, true)
+  enable_docs=yes
+fi
+
+if test x"$enable_docs" != x"yes"; then
+  AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_DOCS, true)
+  enable_docs=no
+fi
+
 # we want largefile support, if possible
 AC_SYS_LARGEFILE
 
@@ -794,6 +808,7 @@ open files in binary mode: 		$vips_binary_open
 enable debug:				$enable_debug
 build C++ components:			$enable_cxx
 build docs with gtkdoc:			$enable_gtk_doc
+install docs:				$enable_docs
 gobject introspection: 			$found_introspection
 
 * optional packages and modules