diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py
index 26ca442890..e0750a301a 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/render.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ from calibre import prepare_string_for_xml, force_unicode
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata import fmt_sidx
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.identify import urls_from_identifiers
 from calibre.constants import filesystem_encoding
-from calibre.library.comments import comments_to_html
+from calibre.library.comments import comments_to_html, markdown
 from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key
 from calibre.utils.formatter import EvalFormatter
 from calibre.utils.date import is_date_undefined
@@ -83,13 +83,24 @@ def mi_to_html(mi, field_list=None, default_author_link=None, use_roman_numbers=
         if not name:
             name = field
         name += ':'
+        disp = metadata['display']
         if metadata['datatype'] == 'comments' or field == 'comments':
             val = getattr(mi, field)
             if val:
-                val = comments_to_html(force_unicode(val))
-                if metadata['display'].get('show_heading'):
-                    val = '<h3 class="comments-heading">%s</h3>%s' % (p(name), val)
-                comment_fields.append('<div id="%s" class="comments">%s</div>' % (field.replace('#', '_'), val))
+                ctype = disp.get('interpret_as') or 'html'
+                val = force_unicode(val)
+                if ctype == 'short-text':
+                    ans.append((field, row % (name, p(val))))
+                else:
+                    if ctype == 'long-text':
+                        val = '<pre>%s</pre>' % p(val)
+                    elif ctype == 'markdown':
+                        val = markdown(val)
+                    else:
+                        val = comments_to_html(val)
+                    if disp.get('show_heading'):
+                        val = '<h3 class="comments-heading">%s</h3>%s' % (p(name), val)
+                    comment_fields.append('<div id="%s" class="comments">%s</div>' % (field.replace('#', '_'), val))
         elif metadata['datatype'] == 'rating':
             val = getattr(mi, field)
             if val:
@@ -102,7 +113,7 @@ def mi_to_html(mi, field_list=None, default_author_link=None, use_roman_numbers=
             val = getattr(mi, field)
             if val:
                 val = force_unicode(val)
-                if metadata['display'].get('contains_html', False):
+                if disp.get('contains_html', False):
                     ans.append((field, row % (name, comments_to_html(val))))
                 else:
                     if not metadata['is_multiple']:
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/create_custom_column.py b/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/create_custom_column.py
index 2f51bad9a2..9a5bfd1a77 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/create_custom_column.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/preferences/create_custom_column.py
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
             'is_multiple':True
         },
     )))
+    column_types_map = {k['datatype']:idx for idx, k in column_types.iteritems()}
 
     def __init__(self, parent, current_row, current_key, standard_colheads, standard_colnames):
         QDialog.__init__(self, parent)
@@ -165,6 +166,8 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
                 self.format_box.setText(c['display'].get('number_format', ''))
         elif ct == 'comments':
             self.show_comments_heading.setChecked(c['display'].get('show_heading', False))
+            idx = max(0, self.comments_type.findData(c['display'].get('interpret_as', 'html')))
+            self.comments_type.setCurrentIndex(idx)
         self.datatype_changed()
         if ct in ['text', 'composite', 'enumeration']:
             self.use_decorations.setChecked(c['display'].get('use_decorations', False))
@@ -177,12 +180,13 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
     def shortcut_activated(self, url):  # {{{
         which = unicode(url).split(':')[-1]
         self.column_type_box.setCurrentIndex({
-            'yesno': 9,
-            'tags' : 1,
-            'series': 3,
-            'rating': 8,
-            'people': 1,
-            }.get(which, 10))
+            'yesno': self.column_types_map['bool'],
+            'tags' : self.column_types_map['*text'],
+            'series': self.column_types_map['series'],
+            'rating': self.column_types_map['rating'],
+            'people': self.column_types_map['*text'],
+            'text': self.column_types_map['comments'],
+            }.get(which, self.column_types_map['composite']))
         self.column_name_box.setText(which)
         self.column_heading_box.setText({
             'isbn':'ISBN',
@@ -191,7 +195,9 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
             'tags': _('My Tags'),
             'series': _('My Series'),
             'rating': _('My Rating'),
-            'people': _('People')}[which])
+            'people': _('People'),
+            'text': _('My Title'),
+        }[which])
         self.is_names.setChecked(which == 'people')
         if self.composite_box.isVisible():
             self.composite_box.setText(
@@ -200,6 +206,9 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
                     'formats': "{:'approximate_formats()'}",
                     }[which])
             self.composite_sort_by.setCurrentIndex(0)
+        if which == 'text':
+            self.show_comments_heading.setChecked(True)
+            self.comments_type.setCurrentIndex(self.comments_type.findData('short-text'))
     # }}}
 
     def setup_ui(self):  # {{{
@@ -215,7 +224,7 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
         for col, name in [('isbn', _('ISBN')), ('formats', _('Formats')),
                 ('yesno', _('Yes/No')),
                 ('tags', _('Tags')), ('series', _('Series')), ('rating',
-                    _('Rating')), ('people', _("People's names"))]:
+                    _('Rating')), ('people', _("Names")), ('text', _('Short text'))]:
             text += ' <a href="col:%s">%s</a>,'%(col, name)
         text = text[:-1]
         s.setText(text)
@@ -303,6 +312,18 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
         sch.setToolTip(_(
             'Choose whether to show the heading for this column in the Book Details Panel'))
         add_row(None, sch)
+        self.comments_type = ct = QComboBox(self)
+        for k, text in (
+                ('html', 'HTML'),
+                ('short-text', _('Short text, like a title')),
+                ('long-text', _('Plain text')),
+                ('markdown', _('Plain text formatted using markdown'))
+        ):
+            ct.addItem(text, k)
+        ct.setToolTip(_('Choose how the data in this column is interpreted.\n'
+                        'This control how the data is displayed in the Book Details panel\n'
+                        'and how it is edited.'))
+        self.comments_type_label = add_row(_('Interpret this column as:') + ' ', ct)
 
         # Values for enum type
         l = QGridLayout()
@@ -394,7 +415,10 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
             getattr(self, 'enum_'+x).setVisible(col_type == 'enumeration')
         self.use_decorations.setVisible(col_type in ['text', 'composite', 'enumeration'])
         self.is_names.setVisible(col_type == '*text')
-        self.show_comments_heading.setVisible(col_type == 'comments')
+        is_comments = col_type == 'comments'
+        self.show_comments_heading.setVisible(is_comments)
+        self.comments_type.setVisible(is_comments)
+        self.comments_type_label.setVisible(is_comments)
 
     def accept(self):
         col = unicode(self.column_name_box.text()).strip()
@@ -491,6 +515,7 @@ class CreateCustomColumn(QDialog, Ui_QCreateCustomColumn):
                 display_dict = {'number_format': None}
         elif col_type == 'comments':
             display_dict['show_heading'] = bool(self.show_comments_heading.isChecked())
+            display_dict['interpret_as'] = type(u'')(self.comments_type.currentData())
 
         if col_type in ['text', 'composite', 'enumeration'] and not is_multiple:
             display_dict['use_decorations'] = self.use_decorations.checkState()
diff --git a/src/calibre/library/comments.py b/src/calibre/library/comments.py
index e9a4a50410..b3e26472a4 100644
--- a/src/calibre/library/comments.py
+++ b/src/calibre/library/comments.py
@@ -130,6 +130,14 @@ def comments_to_html(comments):
 
     return result.renderContents(encoding=None)
 
+def markdown(val):
+    try:
+        md = markdown.Markdown
+    except AttributeError:
+        from calibre.ebooks.markdown import Markdown
+        md = markdown.Markdown = Markdown()
+    return md.convert(val)
+
 def merge_comments(one, two):
     return comments_to_html(one) + '\n\n' + comments_to_html(two)
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/srv/metadata.py b/src/calibre/srv/metadata.py
index 8d5ad7f87f..e1c411a582 100644
--- a/src/calibre/srv/metadata.py
+++ b/src/calibre/srv/metadata.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from functools import partial
 from threading import Lock
 from urllib import quote
 
+from calibre import prepare_string_for_xml
 from calibre.constants import config_dir
 from calibre.db.categories import Tag
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.identify import urls_from_identifiers
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ from calibre.utils.formatter import EvalFormatter
 from calibre.utils.file_type_icons import EXT_MAP
 from calibre.utils.icu import collation_order
 from calibre.utils.localization import calibre_langcode_to_name
-from calibre.library.comments import comments_to_html
+from calibre.library.comments import comments_to_html, markdown
 from calibre.library.field_metadata import category_icon_map
 
 IGNORED_FIELDS = frozenset('cover ondevice path marked au_map size'.split())
@@ -49,7 +50,15 @@ def add_field(field, db, book_id, ans, field_metadata):
                 if val is None:
                     return
             elif datatype == 'comments' or field == 'comments':
-                val = comments_to_html(val)
+                ctype = field_metadata.get('display', {}).get('interpret_as', 'html')
+                if ctype == 'markdown':
+                    val = markdown(val)
+                elif ctype == 'short-text':
+                    pass
+                elif ctype == 'long-text':
+                    val = '<pre>%s</pre>' % prepare_string_for_xml(val)
+                else:
+                    val = comments_to_html(val)
             elif datatype == 'composite' and field_metadata['display'].get('contains_html'):
                 val = comments_to_html(val)
             ans[field] = val
diff --git a/src/pyj/book_list/book_details.pyj b/src/pyj/book_list/book_details.pyj
index dce565d437..cc8225e833 100644
--- a/src/pyj/book_list/book_details.pyj
+++ b/src/pyj/book_list/book_details.pyj
@@ -201,7 +201,10 @@ def render_metadata(mi, interface_data, table, field_list=None):
         datatype = fm.datatype
         val = mi[field]
         if field is 'comments' or datatype is 'comments':
-            comments[field] = val
+            if fm.display?.interpret_as is 'short-text':
+                add_row(name, val)
+            else:
+                comments[field] = val
             return
         func = None
         if datatype is 'composite':
@@ -249,9 +252,13 @@ def render_metadata(mi, interface_data, table, field_list=None):
             traceback.print_exc()
 
     for i, field in enumerate(sorted(comments)):
+        fm = interface_data.field_metadata[field]
         comment = comments[field]
         div = E.div()
         div.innerHTML = comment
+        if fm.display?.show_heading:
+            name = fm.name or field
+            div.insertBefore(E.h3(name), div.firstChild or None)
         table.parentNode.appendChild(div)
         if i is 0:
             div.style.marginTop = '2ex'