diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.py
index d25d0609c8..2ddbec7f20 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.py
@@ -265,12 +265,6 @@ class MetadataSingleDialog(ResizableDialog, Ui_MetadataSingleDialog):
         if not isbn:
             isbn = ''
         self.isbn.setText(isbn)
-        au = self.db.authors(row)
-        if au:
-            au = [a.strip().replace('|', ',') for a in au.split(',')]
-            self.authors.setText(authors_to_string(au))
-        else:
-            self.authors.setText('')
         aus = self.db.author_sort(row)
         self.author_sort.setText(aus if aus else '')
         tags = self.db.tags(row)
@@ -295,7 +289,7 @@ class MetadataSingleDialog(ResizableDialog, Ui_MetadataSingleDialog):
                 Format(self.formats, ext, size)
 
 
-        self.initialize_series_and_publisher()
+        self.initialize_combos()
 
         self.series_index.setValue(self.db.series_index(row))
         QObject.connect(self.series, SIGNAL('currentIndexChanged(int)'), self.enable_series_index)
@@ -331,6 +325,30 @@ class MetadataSingleDialog(ResizableDialog, Ui_MetadataSingleDialog):
     def cover_dropped(self):
         self.cover_changed = True
 
+    def initialize_combos(self):
+        self.initalize_authors()
+        self.initialize_series()
+        self.initialize_publisher()
+
+        self.layout().activate()
+
+    def initalize_authors(self):
+        all_authors = self.db.all_authors()
+        all_authors.sort(cmp=lambda x, y : cmp(x[1], y[1]))
+        author_id = self.db.author_id(self.row)
+        idx, c = None, 0
+        for i in all_authors:
+            id, name = i
+            if id == author_id:
+                idx = c
+            name = [name.strip().replace('|', ',') for n in name.split(',')]
+            self.authors.addItem(authors_to_string(name))
+            c += 1
+
+        self.authors.setEditText('')
+        if idx is not None:
+            self.authors.setCurrentIndex(idx)
+
     def initialize_series(self):
         self.series.setSizeAdjustPolicy(self.series.AdjustToContentsOnFirstShow)
         all_series = self.db.all_series()
@@ -349,8 +367,7 @@ class MetadataSingleDialog(ResizableDialog, Ui_MetadataSingleDialog):
             self.series.setCurrentIndex(idx)
             self.enable_series_index()
 
-    def initialize_series_and_publisher(self):
-        self.initialize_series()
+    def initialize_publisher(self):
         all_publishers = self.db.all_publishers()
         all_publishers.sort(cmp=lambda x, y : cmp(x[1], y[1]))
         publisher_id = self.db.publisher_id(self.row)
@@ -366,9 +383,6 @@ class MetadataSingleDialog(ResizableDialog, Ui_MetadataSingleDialog):
         if idx is not None:
             self.publisher.setCurrentIndex(idx)
 
-
-        self.layout().activate()
-
     def edit_tags(self):
         d = TagEditor(self, self.db, self.row)
         d.exec_()
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.ui b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.ui
index bbf1bb0f7b..ff98d22ad3 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.ui
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_single.ui
@@ -121,9 +121,6 @@
                    <property name="alignment">
                     <set>Qt::AlignRight|Qt::AlignTrailing|Qt::AlignVCenter</set>
                    </property>
-                   <property name="buddy">
-                    <cstring>authors</cstring>
-                   </property>
                   </widget>
                  </item>
                  <item row="2" column="0">
@@ -345,9 +342,6 @@
                    </property>
                   </widget>
                  </item>
-                 <item row="1" column="1">
-                  <widget class="EnLineEdit" name="authors"/>
-                 </item>
                  <item row="7" column="1">
                   <widget class="QDoubleSpinBox" name="series_index">
                    <property name="enabled">
@@ -371,6 +365,13 @@
                    </property>
                   </widget>
                  </item>
+                 <item row="1" column="1">
+                  <widget class="EnComboBox" name="authors">
+                   <property name="editable">
+                    <bool>true</bool>
+                   </property>
+                  </widget>
+                 </item>
                 </layout>
                </widget>
               </item>
@@ -655,7 +656,6 @@
  <tabstops>
   <tabstop>title</tabstop>
   <tabstop>swap_button</tabstop>
-  <tabstop>authors</tabstop>
   <tabstop>author_sort</tabstop>
   <tabstop>auto_author_sort</tabstop>
   <tabstop>rating</tabstop>
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py b/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py
index 3f7734f8c9..abfe137b99 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py
@@ -493,6 +493,8 @@ class EnComboBox(QComboBox):
         QComboBox.__init__(self, *args)
         self.setLineEdit(EnLineEdit(self))
 
+    def text(self):
+        return qstring_to_unicode(self.currentText())
 
 class PythonHighlighter(QSyntaxHighlighter):
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/library/database.py b/src/calibre/library/database.py
index 72b629db0b..ed92853df2 100644
--- a/src/calibre/library/database.py
+++ b/src/calibre/library/database.py
@@ -928,6 +928,10 @@ ALTER TABLE books ADD COLUMN isbn TEXT DEFAULT "" COLLATE NOCASE;
         except:
             pass
 
+    def author_id(self, index, index_is_id=False):
+        id  = index if index_is_id else self.id(index)
+        return self.conn.get('SELECT author from books_authors_link WHERE book=?', (id,), all=False)
+
     def isbn(self, idx, index_is_id=False):
         id = idx if index_is_id else self.id(idx)
         return self.conn.get('SELECT isbn FROM books WHERE id=?',(id,), all=False)