diff --git a/src/calibre/db/backend.py b/src/calibre/db/backend.py
index de976e24e9..b42537116d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/backend.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/backend.py
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ Differences in semantics from pysqlite:
 '''
 CUSTOM_DATA_TYPES = frozenset(['rating', 'text', 'comments', 'datetime',
     'int', 'float', 'bool', 'series', 'composite', 'enumeration'])
+WINDOWS_RESERVED_NAMES = frozenset('CON PRN AUX NUL COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 COM5 COM6 COM7 COM8 COM9 LPT1 LPT2 LPT3 LPT4 LPT5 LPT6 LPT7 LPT8 LPT9'.split())
 
 
 class DynamicFilter(object):  # {{{
@@ -1139,6 +1140,8 @@ class DB(object):
         if not author:
             author = ascii_filename(_('Unknown')).decode(
                     'ascii', 'replace')
+        if author.upper() in WINDOWS_RESERVED_NAMES:
+            author += 'w'
         return '%s/%s%s' % (author, title, book_id)
 
     def construct_file_name(self, book_id, title, author, extlen):
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/tests/filesystem.py b/src/calibre/db/tests/filesystem.py
index f7fa341df1..2f90557bb3 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/tests/filesystem.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/tests/filesystem.py
@@ -132,6 +132,13 @@ class FilesystemTest(BaseTest):
         fpath = cache.format_abspath(1, cache.formats(1)[0])
         self.assertLessEqual(len(fpath), len(cache.backend.library_path) + cache.backend.PATH_LIMIT * 4)
 
+    def test_reserved_names(self):
+        ' Test that folders are not created with a windows reserve name '
+        cache = self.init_cache()
+        cache.set_field('authors', {1:'con'})
+        p = cache.field_for('path', 1).replace(os.sep, '/').split('/')
+        self.assertNotIn('con', p)
+
     def test_fname_change(self):
         ' Test the changing of the filename but not the folder name '
         cache = self.init_cache()