diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index 6605e82b..0db8cce5 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -73,8 +73,15 @@ fi
 echo "* Running libtoolize"
 libtoolize --copy --force
 
-echo "* Running gtkdocize"
-gtkdocize --flavour no-tmpl || exit $?
+GTKDOCIZE=`which gtkdocize`
+if test -z $GTKDOCIZE; then
+        echo "You don't have gtk-doc installed, and thus"
+        echo "won't be able to generate the documentation."
+        touch gtk-doc.make
+else
+        echo "* Running gtkdocize"
+        $GTKDOCIZE --flavour no-tmpl || exit $?
+fi
 
 echo "* Running $ACLOCAL"
 $ACLOCAL $ACLOCAL_FLAGS -I m4 || exit $?
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 04dbe3ae..c4e49bed 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -681,7 +681,14 @@ AC_SUBST(LASSO_WSF_SUPPORT)
 
 
 dnl API Reference documentation support
+# gtkdocize greps for ^GTK_DOC_CHECK and parses it, so you need to have
+# it on it's own line.
+m4_ifdef([GTK_DOC_CHECK], [
 GTK_DOC_CHECK(1.9)
+],[
+AM_CONDITIONAL([ENABLE_GTK_DOC],[false])
+])
+
 if test "z$with_html_dir" != "z" ; then
     LASSO_DOCDIR=$with_html_dir
 else
diff --git a/docs/Makefile.am b/docs/Makefile.am
index 4235c7ed..49c40034 100644
--- a/docs/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/Makefile.am
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = Makefile.in
 
-SUBDIRS = lasso-book reference
+SUBDIRS = lasso-book
+
+if ENABLE_GTK_DOC
+SUBDIRS += reference
+else
+DIST_SUBDIRS = reference
+endif
 
diff --git a/docs/reference/lasso/Makefile.am b/docs/reference/lasso/Makefile.am
index ac8c5118..4713c3c7 100644
--- a/docs/reference/lasso/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/reference/lasso/Makefile.am
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ GTKDOC_LIBS= \
 	$(top_builddir)/lasso/liblasso.la \
 	$(LASSO_LIBS)
 
+EXTRA_DIST =
+
 # This includes the standard gtk-doc make rules, copied by gtkdocize.
 include $(top_srcdir)/gtk-doc.make