diff --git a/manual/build.py b/manual/build.py
index 2007d8d578..f8568be0f8 100755
--- a/manual/build.py
+++ b/manual/build.py
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import sys, os, subprocess, shutil
 SPHINX_BUILD = 'sphinx-build2'
 
 j, d, a = os.path.join, os.path.dirname, os.path.abspath
+BASE = d(a(__file__))
+
 
 def sphinx_build(language, base, builder='html', bdir='html', t=None, quiet=True):
     destdir = j(base, bdir)
@@ -29,11 +31,12 @@ def sphinx_build(language, base, builder='html', bdir='html', t=None, quiet=True
         ans += ['-w', j(destdir, 'sphinx-build-warnings.txt')]
     if t:
         ans += ['-t', t]
-    ans += ['-d', j(base, 'doctrees'), '.', destdir]
+    ans += ['-d', j(base, 'doctrees'), BASE, destdir]
     print(' '.join(ans))
     subprocess.check_call(ans)
     return destdir
 
+
 def build_manual(language, base):
     sb = partial(sphinx_build, language, base)
     onlinedir = sb(t='online')
@@ -41,6 +44,7 @@ def build_manual(language, base):
     latexdir = sb('mylatex', 'latex')
     pwd = os.getcwdu()
     os.chdir(latexdir)
+
     def run_cmd(cmd):
         p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=open(os.devnull, 'wb'), stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
         p.stdin.close()
@@ -63,6 +67,7 @@ def build_manual(language, base):
     from calibre.ebooks.oeb.polish.container import epub_to_azw3
     epub_to_azw3(epub_dest)
 
+
 def build_pot(base):
     cmd = [SPHINX_BUILD, '-b', 'gettext', '-t', 'online', '-t', 'gettext', '.', base]
     print (' '.join(cmd))
@@ -70,7 +75,13 @@ def build_pot(base):
     os.remove(j(base, 'generated.pot'))
     return base
 
+
+def build_man_pages(language, base):
+    sphinx_build(language, base, builder='man', bdir=language)
+
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
+    import argparse
     os.chdir(d(a(__file__)))
     os.environ['__appname__'] = __appname__
     os.environ['__version__'] = __version__
@@ -81,12 +92,20 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
             import json
             os.environ['ALL_USER_MANUAL_LANGUAGES'] = ' '.join(json.load(open('locale/completed.json', 'rb')))
         sphinx_build(language, base, t='online', quiet=False)
+        print ('Manual built in', j(base, 'html'))
     else:
-        language, base  = sys.argv[1:]
+        p = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+        p.add_argument('language', help='The language to build for')
+        p.add_argument('base', help='The destination directory')
+        p.add_argument('--man-pages', default=False, action='store_true', help='Build man pages')
+        args = p.parse_args()
+        language, base = args.language, args.base
         if language == 'gettext':
             build_pot(base)
+        elif args.man_pages:
+            os.environ['CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_LANG'] = language
+            build_man_pages(language, base)
         else:
             os.environ['CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_LANG'] = language
             build_manual(language, base)
-    if language != 'gettext':
-        print ('Manual for', language, 'built in', j(base, 'html'))
+            print ('Manual for', language, 'built in', j(base, 'html'))
diff --git a/setup/commands.py b/setup/commands.py
index 9f2590bbab..50389cfbef 100644
--- a/setup/commands.py
+++ b/setup/commands.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ __docformat__ = 'restructuredtext en'
 
 __all__ = [
         'pot', 'translations', 'get_translations', 'iso639', 'iso3166',
-        'build', 'mathjax',
+        'build', 'mathjax', 'man_pages',
         'gui',
         'develop', 'install',
         'kakasi', 'coffee', 'rapydscript', 'cacerts', 'recent_uas', 'resources',
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ recent_uas = RecentUAs()
 rapydscript = RapydScript()
 
 from setup.publish import Manual, TagRelease, Stage1, Stage2, \
-        Stage3, Stage4, Stage5, Publish, PublishBetas
+        Stage3, Stage4, Stage5, Publish, PublishBetas, ManPages
 manual = Manual()
 tag_release = TagRelease()
 stage1 = Stage1()
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ stage4 = Stage4()
 stage5 = Stage5()
 publish = Publish()
 publish_betas = PublishBetas()
+man_pages = ManPages()
 
 from setup.upload import (UploadUserManual, UploadDemo, UploadInstallers,
         UploadToServer, ReUpload)
diff --git a/setup/publish.py b/setup/publish.py
index cc0c18548b..6d99f614f4 100644
--- a/setup/publish.py
+++ b/setup/publish.py
@@ -271,6 +271,65 @@ class Manual(Command):
             shutil.rmtree(path)
 
 
+class ManPages(Command):
+
+    description = '''Build the man pages '''
+
+    def add_options(self, parser):
+        parser.add_option('--man-dir', help='Where to generate the man pages')
+        parser.add_option('--compress-man-pages', default=False, action='store_true', help='Compress the generated man pages')
+
+    def run(self, opts):
+        self.build_man_pages(opts.man_dir or 'man-pages', opts.compress_man_pages)
+
+    def build_man_pages(self, dest, compress=False):
+        dest = os.path.abspath(dest)
+        if os.path.exists(dest):
+            shutil.rmtree(dest)
+        os.makedirs(dest)
+        self.info('\tCreating man pages in {}...'.format(dest))
+        base = self.j(self.d(self.SRC), 'manual')
+        languages = list(
+            json.load(open(self.j(base, 'locale', 'completed.json'), 'rb'))
+        )
+        languages = ['en'] + list(set(languages) - {'en'})
+        os.environ['ALL_USER_MANUAL_LANGUAGES'] = ' '.join(languages)
+        try:
+            os.makedirs(dest)
+        except EnvironmentError:
+            pass
+        jobs = []
+        for l in languages:
+            jobs.append((
+                ['calibre-debug', self.j(base, 'build.py'), '--', '--man-pages', l, dest],
+                '\n\n**************** Building translations for: %s' % l)
+            )
+        if not parallel_build(jobs, self.info, verbose=False):
+            raise SystemExit(1)
+        shutil.rmtree(self.j(dest, 'doctrees'))
+        cwd = os.getcwdu()
+        os.chdir(dest)
+        try:
+            for x in os.listdir('.'):
+                if x == 'en':
+                    os.rename(x, 'man1')
+                else:
+                    os.mkdir(self.j(x, 'man1'))
+                    for y in os.listdir(x):
+                        if y != 'man1':
+                            os.rename(self.j(x, y), self.j(x, 'man1', y))
+            if compress:
+                jobs = []
+                for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk('.'):
+                    for f in filenames:
+                        if f.endswith('.1'):
+                            jobs.append((['gzip', '--best', self.j(dirpath, f)], ''))
+                if not parallel_build(jobs, self.info, verbose=False):
+                    raise SystemExit(1)
+        finally:
+            os.chdir(cwd)
+
+
 class TagRelease(Command):
 
     description = 'Tag a new release in git'