diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 48d65582..8f08cd5c 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -552,11 +552,12 @@ install-data-hook:
 	chmod a+x rcl* ppt-dump.py xls-dump.py xlsxmltocsv.py hotrecoll.py; \
 	chmod 0644 msodump.zip rclexecm.py rcllatinstops.zip rclconfig.py) 
 
+if MAKEUSERDOC
 rdocdir = $(pkgdatadir)/doc
 rdoc_DATA = doc/user/usermanual.html doc/user/docbook-xsl.css 
-
-doc/user/usermanual.html:
+doc/user/usermanual.html: doc/user/usermanual.xml
 	$(MAKE) -C doc/user
+endif
 
 dist_man1_MANS = doc/man/recoll.1 doc/man/recollq.1 doc/man/recollindex.1
 dist_man5_MANS = doc/man/recoll.conf.5
diff --git a/src/configure.ac b/src/configure.ac
index 4c660e8d..e53a394b 100644
--- a/src/configure.ac
+++ b/src/configure.ac
@@ -364,9 +364,17 @@ XAPIANCXXFLAGS=`$XAPIAN_CONFIG --cxxflags`
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(xadump, 
     AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-xadump],
    [Enable building the xadump low level Xapian access program.]),
-        enableQT=$enableval, enableXADUMP="no")
+        enableXADUMP=$enableval, enableXADUMP="no")
 AM_CONDITIONAL(MAKEXADUMP, [test X$enableXADUMP = Xyes])
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(userdoc,
+    AC_HELP_STRING([--disable-userdoc],
+       [Disable building the user manual. (Avoids the need for docbook xml/xsl files and TeX tools.]),
+        enableUserdoc=$enableval, enableUserdoc="yes")
+AM_CONDITIONAL(MAKEUSERDOC, [test X$enableUserdoc = Xyes])
+
+
+
 #### QT
 # The way qt and its tools (qmake especially) are installed is very
 # different between systems (and maybe qt versions)
diff --git a/src/doc/user/usermanual.xml b/src/doc/user/usermanual.xml
index 51e9c350..b382bc3b 100644
--- a/src/doc/user/usermanual.xml
+++ b/src/doc/user/usermanual.xml
@@ -4872,11 +4872,28 @@ except:
         <para>The shopping list:</para>
         <itemizedlist>
 
+          <listitem><para>The <literal>autoconf</literal>,
+          <literal>automake</literal> and <literal>libtool</literal>
+          triad. Only <literal>autoconf</literal> is needed up to &RCL;
+          1.21.</para></listitem>
+
           <listitem><para>C++ compiler. Up to &RCL; version 1.13.04,
               its absence can manifest itself by strange messages
               about a missing iconv_open.</para>
           </listitem>
 
+          <listitem><para><command>bison</command> command (for &RCL; 1.21
+          and later).</para>
+          </listitem>
+
+          <listitem><para><command>xsltproc</command> command. For building
+          the documentation (for &RCL; 1.21
+          and later). This sometimes comes with the
+          <literal>libxslt</literal> package. And also the Docbook XML and
+          style sheet files.</para>
+          </listitem>
+
+          
           <listitem><para>Development files
               for <ulink url="http://www.xapian.org"> <application>Xapian
                   core</application></ulink>.</para> 
@@ -4907,6 +4924,11 @@ except:
 	    <application>zlib</application>.</para>
         </listitem>
 
+        <listitem>
+          <para>Development files for Python (or use
+          <literal>--disable-python-module</literal>).</para>
+        </listitem>
+
         <listitem>
           <para>You may also need 
             <ulink url="http://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/">
@@ -5009,11 +5031,17 @@ except:
 	    <application>Qt</application> and
 	    <application>X11</application>.</para> </listitem>
 
-	  <listitem><para><option>--disable-pic</option> will compile
-	      &RCL; with position-dependant code. This is incompatible with
-	      building the KIO or the <application>Python</application>
-	      or <application>PHP</application> extensions, but might
-	      yield very marginally faster code.</para></listitem>
+	  <listitem><para><option>--disable-userdoc</option> 
+          will avoid building the user manual. This avoids having to
+          install the Docbook XML/XSL files and the TeX toolchain used for
+          translating the manual to PDF.</para></listitem>
+
+	  <listitem><para><option>--disable-pic</option> (&RCL; versions up
+            to 1.21 only) will compile
+	    &RCL; with position-dependant code. This is incompatible with
+	    building the KIO or the <application>Python</application>
+	    or <application>PHP</application> extensions, but might
+	  yield very marginally faster code.</para></listitem>
 
 	  <listitem><para>Of course the usual 
 	  <application>autoconf</application> <command>configure</command>
@@ -5023,7 +5051,8 @@ except:
          </para>
 	</formalpara>
 
-      <para>Normal procedure:</para>
+      <para>Normal procedure (for source extracted from a tar
+      distribution):</para>
       <screen>
         <userinput>cd recoll-xxx</userinput>
         <userinput>./configure</userinput>
@@ -5031,15 +5060,12 @@ except:
         <userinput>(practices usual hardship-repelling invocations)</userinput>
       </screen>
 
-
-      <para>There is little auto-configuration. The
-        <command>configure</command> script will mainly link one of
-        the system-specific files in the <filename>mk</filename>
-        directory to <filename>mk/sysconf</filename>. If your system
-        is not known yet, it will tell you as much, and you may want
-        to manually copy and modify one of the existing files (the new
-        file name should be the output of <command>uname</command>
-        <option>-s</option>).</para> 
+      <para>When building from source cloned from the BitBucket repository,
+      you also need to install <application>autoconf</application>,
+      <application>automake</application>, and
+      <application>libtool</application> and you must execute <literal>sh
+      autogen.sh</literal> in the top source directory before running
+      <literal>configure</literal>.</para>
       
       <sect3 id="RCL.INSTALL.BUILDING.BUILD.SOLARIS">
 	<title>Building on Solaris</title>