diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/comments_dialog.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/comments_dialog.py
index 324a621292..f251a9389d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/comments_dialog.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/comments_dialog.py
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@ __copyright__ = '2008, Kovid Goyal kovid@kovidgoyal.net'
 __docformat__ = 'restructuredtext en'
 __license__   = 'GPL v3'
 
-from PyQt5.Qt import Qt, QDialog, QDialogButtonBox
+from PyQt5.Qt import Qt, QDialog, QDialogButtonBox, QVBoxLayout, QPlainTextEdit, QSize
 
 from calibre.gui2 import gprefs, Application
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.comments_dialog_ui import Ui_CommentsDialog
 from calibre.library.comments import comments_to_html
+from calibre.gui2.widgets2 import Dialog
 
 class CommentsDialog(QDialog, Ui_CommentsDialog):
 
@@ -48,6 +49,31 @@ class CommentsDialog(QDialog, Ui_CommentsDialog):
         self.save_geometry()
         return QDialog.closeEvent(self, ev)
 
+
+class PlainTextDialog(Dialog):
+
+    def __init__(self, parent, text, column_name=None):
+        title = _('Edit "{0}"').format(column_name) if column_name else _('Edit text')
+        Dialog.__init__(self, title, 'edit-plain-text-dialog', parent=parent)
+        self.text = text
+
+    def setup_ui(self):
+        self.l = l = QVBoxLayout(self)
+        self._text = QPlainTextEdit(self)
+        l.addWidget(self._text)
+        l.addWidget(self.bb)
+
+    @property
+    def text(self):
+        return self._text.toPlainText()
+
+    @text.setter
+    def text(self, val):
+        self._text.setPlainText(val or '')
+
+    def sizeHint(self):
+        return QSize(600, 400)
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     app = Application([])
     d = CommentsDialog(None, 'testing', 'Comments')
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/library/delegates.py b/src/calibre/gui2/library/delegates.py
index e125dcd235..bfb8cb78f8 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/library/delegates.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/library/delegates.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ from calibre.gui2.complete2 import EditWithComplete
 from calibre.utils.date import now, format_date, qt_to_dt, is_date_undefined
 from calibre.utils.config import tweaks
 from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key
-from calibre.gui2.dialogs.comments_dialog import CommentsDialog
+from calibre.gui2.dialogs.comments_dialog import CommentsDialog, PlainTextDialog
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.template_dialog import TemplateDialog
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.tag_editor import TagEditor
 from calibre.gui2.languages import LanguagesEdit
@@ -457,11 +457,14 @@ class CcTextDelegate(QStyledItemDelegate, UpdateEditorGeometry):  # {{{
     def createEditor(self, parent, option, index):
         m = index.model()
         col = m.column_map[index.column()]
-        editor = EditWithComplete(parent)
-        editor.set_separator(None)
-        complete_items = sorted(list(m.db.all_custom(label=m.db.field_metadata.key_to_label(col))),
-                                key=sort_key)
-        editor.update_items_cache(complete_items)
+        key = m.db.field_metadata.key_to_label(col)
+        if m.db.field_metadata[col]['is_multiple']:
+            editor = EditWithComplete(parent)
+            editor.set_separator(None)
+            complete_items = sorted(list(m.db.all_custom(label=key)), key=sort_key)
+            editor.update_items_cache(complete_items)
+        else:
+            editor = QStyledItemDelegate.createEditor(self, parent, option, index)
         return editor
 
     def setEditorData(self, editor, index):
@@ -473,6 +476,32 @@ class CcTextDelegate(QStyledItemDelegate, UpdateEditorGeometry):  # {{{
         model.setData(index, (val), Qt.EditRole)
 # }}}
 
+class CcLongTextDelegate(QStyledItemDelegate):  # {{{
+
+    '''
+    Delegate for comments data.
+    '''
+
+    def __init__(self, parent):
+        QStyledItemDelegate.__init__(self, parent)
+        self.document = QTextDocument()
+
+    def createEditor(self, parent, option, index):
+        m = index.model()
+        col = m.column_map[index.column()]
+        if check_key_modifier(Qt.ControlModifier):
+            text = ''
+        else:
+            text = m.db.data[index.row()][m.custom_columns[col]['rec_index']]
+        d = PlainTextDialog(parent, text, column_name=m.custom_columns[col]['name'])
+        if d.exec_() == d.Accepted:
+            m.setData(index, d.text, Qt.EditRole)
+        return None
+
+    def setModelData(self, editor, model, index):
+        model.setData(index, (editor.textbox.html), Qt.EditRole)
+# }}}
+
 class CcNumberDelegate(QStyledItemDelegate, UpdateEditorGeometry):  # {{{
 
     '''
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py b/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py
index 60cdd9d3a4..b6f644e497 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from PyQt5.Qt import (
 
 from calibre.constants import islinux
 from calibre.gui2.library.delegates import (RatingDelegate, PubDateDelegate,
-    TextDelegate, DateDelegate, CompleteDelegate, CcTextDelegate,
+    TextDelegate, DateDelegate, CompleteDelegate, CcTextDelegate, CcLongTextDelegate,
     CcBoolDelegate, CcCommentsDelegate, CcDateDelegate, CcTemplateDelegate,
     CcEnumDelegate, CcNumberDelegate, LanguagesDelegate)
 from calibre.gui2.library.models import BooksModel, DeviceBooksModel
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ class BooksView(QTableView):  # {{{
         self.publisher_delegate = TextDelegate(self)
         self.text_delegate = TextDelegate(self)
         self.cc_text_delegate = CcTextDelegate(self)
+        self.cc_longtext_delegate = CcLongTextDelegate(self)
         self.cc_enum_delegate = CcEnumDelegate(self)
         self.cc_bool_delegate = CcBoolDelegate(self)
         self.cc_comments_delegate = CcCommentsDelegate(self)
@@ -774,7 +775,13 @@ class BooksView(QTableView):  # {{{
                     delegate.set_format(cc['display'].get('date_format',''))
                     self.setItemDelegateForColumn(cm.index(colhead), delegate)
                 elif cc['datatype'] == 'comments':
-                    self.setItemDelegateForColumn(cm.index(colhead), self.cc_comments_delegate)
+                    ctype = cc['display'].get('interpret_as', 'html')
+                    if ctype == 'short-text':
+                        self.setItemDelegateForColumn(cm.index(colhead), self.cc_text_delegate)
+                    elif ctype in ('long-text', 'markdown'):
+                        self.setItemDelegateForColumn(cm.index(colhead), self.cc_longtext_delegate)
+                    else:
+                        self.setItemDelegateForColumn(cm.index(colhead), self.cc_comments_delegate)
                 elif cc['datatype'] == 'text':
                     if cc['is_multiple']:
                         if cc['display'].get('is_names', False):