Index: configure.ac
===================================================================
--- configure.ac	(revision 46977)
+++ configure.ac	(working copy)
@@ -145,9 +145,31 @@
 AC_PROG_EGREP
 AC_PROG_FGREP
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([documentation], AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-documentation],
+                               [Disble building of the documentation]),
+                               [case "${enableval}" in
+                                yes) cond_doc=true ;;
+                                no)  cond_doc=false ;;
+                                *) AC_MSG_ERROR(bad value ${enableval} 
+                                               for --enable-documentation) ;;
+                                esac], [cond_doc=unset])
+if test ! -d doc ; then
+   if test "$cond_doc" = 'true' ; then
+      AC_MSG_ERROR([--enable-documentation specified, but doc dir does not exist])
+   fi
+else
+   if test "$cond_doc" = 'unset' ; then
+      cond_doc='yes'
+   fi
+fi
+AM_CONDITIONAL([DOC], [test "$cond_doc" = 'true'])
+
+if test "$cond_doc" = 'true' ; then
+   AC_CONFIG_FILES([doc/Makefile])
+fi
+
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([
   Makefile
-  doc/Makefile
   lib/Automake/Makefile
   lib/Automake/tests/Makefile
   lib/Makefile
Index: Makefile.am
===================================================================
--- Makefile.am	(revision 46977)
+++ Makefile.am	(working copy)
@@ -20,9 +20,13 @@
 ## Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA
 ## 02110-1301, USA.
 
+if DOC
+	MAYBE_DOC = doc
+endif
+
 ## We need `.' in SUBDIRS because we want `check' to build `.' before
 ## tests.
-SUBDIRS = . doc m4 lib tests
+SUBDIRS = . m4 lib tests $(MAYBE_DOC)
 
 bin_SCRIPTS = automake aclocal