diff --git a/libvipsCC/VImage.cc b/libvipsCC/VImage.cc
index 0d824b63..845e61f3 100644
--- a/libvipsCC/VImage.cc
+++ b/libvipsCC/VImage.cc
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ VIPS_NAMESPACE_START
  */
 bool init( const char *argv0 )
 {
-	return( vips_init( argv0 ) ); 
+	return( vips_init( argv0 ) == 0 ); 
 }
 
 void shutdown( void )