diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index d32bf16..216b8d5 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 2000-08-20  Bruno Haible  <bruno@linuix.math.u-bordeaux.fr>
 
+        * mkinstalldirs: New file, from automake-1.4, grep-2.4.1, guile-1.4,
+          libtool-1.3.3, make-3.79.1, tar-1.13.
+        * srcdir/Makefile.in (MKINSTALLDIRS): New variable.
+          (install, installdirs): Use it instead of mkdir.
+        * docdir/Makefile.in (MKINSTALLDIRS): New variable.
+          (install, installdirs): Use it instead of mkdir.
+
         * INSTALL: Update.
 
 2000-08-19  Bruno Haible  <bruno@linuix.math.u-bordeaux.fr>
diff --git a/doc/Makefile.in b/doc/Makefile.in
index d8403f2..e76f548 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile.in
+++ b/doc/Makefile.in
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ TEXI2HTML = texi2html
 INSTALL = @INSTALL@
 INSTALL_PROGRAM = @INSTALL_PROGRAM@
 INSTALL_DATA = @INSTALL_DATA@
+MKINSTALLDIRS = $(SHELL) $(srcdir)/../mkinstalldirs
 
 #### End of system configuration section. ####
 
@@ -92,29 +93,23 @@ gperf_toc.html : $(srcdir)/gperf.texi $(srcdir)/gpl.texinfo
 
 
 install : all force
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(infodir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(infodir) ; fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(infodir)
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/gperf.info $(DESTDIR)$(infodir)/gperf.info
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(mandir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(mandir) ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir) ; fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir)
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/gperf.1 $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir)/gperf.1
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(datadir)/doc ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(datadir)/doc ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(docdir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(docdir) ; fi
-#	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir) ; fi
+#	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir)
 #	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/gperf.dvi $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir)/gperf.dvi
-#	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(psdir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(psdir) ; fi
+#	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(psdir)
 #	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/gperf.ps $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir)/gperf.ps
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir) ; fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir)
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/gperf.html $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir)/gperf.html
 
 installdirs : force
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(infodir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(infodir) ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(mandir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(mandir) ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir) ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(datadir)/doc ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(datadir)/doc ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(docdir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(docdir) ; fi
-#	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir) ; fi
-#	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(psdir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(psdir) ; fi
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir) ; fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(infodir)
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(man1dir)
+#	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(dvidir)
+#	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(psdir)
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir)
 
 uninstall : force
 	$(RM) $(DESTDIR)$(infodir)/gperf.info
diff --git a/mkinstalldirs b/mkinstalldirs
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6b3b5fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mkinstalldirs
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+# mkinstalldirs --- make directory hierarchy
+# Author: Noah Friedman <friedman@prep.ai.mit.edu>
+# Created: 1993-05-16
+# Public domain
+
+# $Id$
+
+errstatus=0
+
+for file
+do
+   set fnord `echo ":$file" | sed -ne 's/^:\//#/;s/^://;s/\// /g;s/^#/\//;p'`
+   shift
+
+   pathcomp=
+   for d
+   do
+     pathcomp="$pathcomp$d"
+     case "$pathcomp" in
+       -* ) pathcomp=./$pathcomp ;;
+     esac
+
+     if test ! -d "$pathcomp"; then
+        echo "mkdir $pathcomp"
+
+        mkdir "$pathcomp" || lasterr=$?
+
+        if test ! -d "$pathcomp"; then
+  	  errstatus=$lasterr
+        fi
+     fi
+
+     pathcomp="$pathcomp/"
+   done
+done
+
+exit $errstatus
+
+# mkinstalldirs ends here
diff --git a/src/Makefile.in b/src/Makefile.in
index a3d0241..b3f3050 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/src/Makefile.in
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ RM = rm -f
 INSTALL = @INSTALL@
 INSTALL_PROGRAM = @INSTALL_PROGRAM@
 INSTALL_DATA = @INSTALL_DATA@
+MKINSTALLDIRS = $(SHELL) $(srcdir)/../mkinstalldirs
 
 #### End of system configuration section. ####
 
@@ -121,11 +122,11 @@ version.o : version.cc $(VERSION_H)
 	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -c $(srcdir)/version.cc
 
 install : all force
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(bindir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(bindir) ; fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)
 	$(INSTALL_PROGRAM) $(TARGETPROG) $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/$(TARGETPROG)
 
 installdirs : force
-	if [ ! -d $(DESTDIR)$(bindir) ] ; then mkdir $(DESTDIR)$(bindir) ; fi
+	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)
 
 uninstall : force
 	$(RM) $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/$(TARGETPROG)