diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 1f125e0f..9c7ec994 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@ dist/*
 build/*
 doc/_build/*
 doc/html/*
+doc/psycopg2.txt
diff --git a/doc/Makefile b/doc/Makefile
index d9619aa4..7dc0f3dd 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile
+++ b/doc/Makefile
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ ALLSPHINXOPTS   = -d $(BUILDDIR)/doctrees $(PAPEROPT_$(PAPER)) $(SPHINXOPTS) .
 
 .PHONY: help clean html dirhtml pickle json htmlhelp qthelp latex changes linkcheck doctest
 
-doc: html
+all: html text
 
 check: doctest
 
@@ -48,6 +48,12 @@ dirhtml:
 	@echo
 	@echo "Build finished. The HTML pages are in $(BUILDDIR)/dirhtml."
 
+text:
+	$(SPHINXBUILD) -b text $(ALLSPHINXOPTS) $(BUILDDIR)/text
+	tools/stitch_text.py index.rst $(BUILDDIR)/text > psycopg2.txt
+	@echo
+	@echo "Build finished. The text file is psycopg2.txt."
+
 pickle:
 	$(SPHINXBUILD) -b pickle $(ALLSPHINXOPTS) $(BUILDDIR)/pickle
 	@echo
diff --git a/doc/index.rst b/doc/index.rst
index 8fe8f89a..4b32069b 100644
--- a/doc/index.rst
+++ b/doc/index.rst
@@ -40,6 +40,15 @@ Contents:
    extras
    errorcodes
 
+
+.. ifconfig:: builder != 'text'
+
+    .. rubric:: Indices and tables
+
+    * :ref:`genindex`
+    * :ref:`search`
+
+
 .. ifconfig:: todo_include_todos
 
     .. note::
@@ -48,11 +57,3 @@ Contents:
 
         .. todolist::
 
-
-Indices and tables
-==================
-
-* :ref:`genindex`
-* :ref:`search`
-
-
diff --git a/doc/tools/stitch_text.py b/doc/tools/stitch_text.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..c54f4b11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/tools/stitch_text.py
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#! /usr/bin/env python
+"""A script to stitch together the generated text files in the correct order.
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+def main():
+    if len(sys.argv) != 3:
+        print >>sys.stderr, "usage: %s index.rst text-dir"
+        return 2
+
+    _, index, txt_dir = sys.argv
+
+    for fb in iter_file_base(index):
+        emit(fb, txt_dir)
+
+    return 0
+
+def iter_file_base(fn):
+    have_line = iter(open(fn)).next
+
+    while not have_line().startswith('.. toctree'):
+        pass
+    while have_line().strip().startswith(':'):
+        pass
+
+    yield os.path.splitext(os.path.basename(fn))[0]
+
+    n = 0
+    while 1:
+        line = have_line()
+        if line.isspace():
+            continue
+        if line.startswith(".."):
+            break
+        n += 1
+        yield line.strip()
+
+    if n < 5:
+        # maybe format changed?
+        raise Exception("Not enough files found. Format change in index.rst?")
+
+def emit(basename, txt_dir):
+    for line in open(os.path.join(txt_dir, basename + ".txt")):
+        line = line.replace("``", "'")
+        sys.stdout.write(line)
+
+    # some space between sections
+    print
+    print
+
+    
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    sys.exit(main())
+