diff --git a/src/calibre/srv/opts.py b/src/calibre/srv/opts.py
index 977b05794e..10330ba758 100644
--- a/src/calibre/srv/opts.py
+++ b/src/calibre/srv/opts.py
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ raw_options = (
 
     _('A prefix to prepend to all URLs'),
     'url_prefix', None,
-    _('Useful if you wish to run this server behind a reverse proxy.'),
+    _('Useful if you wish to run this server behind a reverse proxy. For example use, /calibre as the URL prefix.'),
 
     _('Advertise OPDS feeds via BonJour'),
     'use_bonjour', True,
diff --git a/src/calibre/srv/routes.py b/src/calibre/srv/routes.py
index a024898a73..4d7fb100cd 100644
--- a/src/calibre/srv/routes.py
+++ b/src/calibre/srv/routes.py
@@ -199,7 +199,12 @@ class Router(object):
 
     def __init__(self, endpoints=None, ctx=None, url_prefix=None, auth_controller=None):
         self.routes = {}
-        self.url_prefix = url_prefix or ''
+        self.url_prefix = (url_prefix or '').rstrip('/')
+        self.strip_path = None
+        if self.url_prefix:
+            if not self.url_prefix.startswith('/'):
+                self.url_prefix = '/' + self.url_prefix
+            self.strip_path = tuple(self.url_prefix[1:].split('/'))
         self.ctx = ctx
         self.auth_controller = auth_controller
         self.init_session = getattr(ctx, 'init_session', lambda ep, data:None)
@@ -236,6 +241,8 @@ class Router(object):
         self.soak_routes = sorted(frozenset(r for r in self if r.soak_up_extra), key=attrgetter('min_size'), reverse=True)
 
     def find_route(self, path):
+        if self.strip_path is not None and path[:len(self.strip_path)] == self.strip_path:
+            path = path[len(self.strip_path):]
         size = len(path)
         # routes for which min_size <= size <= max_size
         routes = self.max_size_map.get(size, set()) & self.min_size_map.get(size, set())
diff --git a/src/pyj/ajax.pyj b/src/pyj/ajax.pyj
index 331588b4a5..cc498ce2b6 100644
--- a/src/pyj/ajax.pyj
+++ b/src/pyj/ajax.pyj
@@ -15,20 +15,20 @@ def encode_query_component(x):
     ans = ans.replace(/%3[aA]/g, ':')
     return ans
 
-def encode_query(query):
+def encode_query(query, qchar):
     if not query:
         return ''
+    qchar = qchar or '?'
     keys = Object.keys(query)
-    has_query = False
-    path = ''
+    ans = ''
     if keys.length:
         for k in keys:
             val = query[k]
             if val is undefined or val is None:
                 continue
-            path += ('&' if has_query else '?') + encodeURIComponent(k) + '=' + encode_query_component(val.toString())
-            has_query = True
-    return path
+            ans += qchar + encodeURIComponent(k) + '=' + encode_query_component(val.toString())
+            qchar = '&'
+    return ans
 
 def ajax(path, on_complete, on_progress=None, bypass_cache=True, method='GET', query=None, timeout=30*1000, ok_code=200, progress_totals_needed=True):
     # Run an AJAX request. on_complete must be a function that accepts three
diff --git a/src/pyj/book_list/router.pyj b/src/pyj/book_list/router.pyj
index b2e963409d..85d1e6d69c 100644
--- a/src/pyj/book_list/router.pyj
+++ b/src/pyj/book_list/router.pyj
@@ -2,12 +2,10 @@
 # License: GPL v3 Copyright: 2017, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>
 from __python__ import hash_literals, bound_methods
 
-from ajax import encode_query as ajax_encode_query
-
 from book_list.constants import read_book_container_id, book_list_container_id
 from book_list.globals import get_current_query
 from book_list.library_data import current_library_id
-from utils import parse_url_params
+from utils import parse_url_params, encode_query_with_path
 
 mode_handlers = {}
 default_mode_handler = None
@@ -54,16 +52,12 @@ def open_book(book_id, fmt, library_id=None, replace=False):
     push_state({'book_id':book_id, 'fmt':fmt, 'library_id':library_id}, replace=replace, mode=read_book_mode)
 
 
-def encode_query(query):
-    ans = ajax_encode_query(query)
-    return '#' + ans[1:]
-
 
 def push_state(query, replace=False, mode='book_list', call_handler=True):
     query = {k:query[k] for k in query}
     if mode is not 'book_list':
         query.mode = mode
-    query = encode_query(query)
+    query = encode_query_with_path(query)
     if replace:
         window.history.replaceState(None, '', query)
     else:
diff --git a/src/pyj/utils.pyj b/src/pyj/utils.pyj
index fa128c05ed..ad6812bc54 100644
--- a/src/pyj/utils.pyj
+++ b/src/pyj/utils.pyj
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 # License: GPL v3 Copyright: 2015, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>
 from __python__ import hash_literals
 
+from ajax import encode_query
 from encodings import hexlify
 
 def debounce(func, wait, immediate=False):
@@ -52,6 +53,12 @@ def parse_url_params(url=None, allow_multiple=False):
     return ans
 parse_url_params.cache = {}
 
+
+def encode_query_with_path(query, path):
+    path = path or window.location.pathname
+    return path + encode_query(query, '#')
+
+
 _roman = list(zip(
 [1000,900,500,400,100,90,50,40,10,9,5,4,1],
 ["M","CM","D","CD","C","XC","L","XL","X","IX","V","IV","I"]