diff --git a/aclocal.m4 b/aclocal.m4
index bfd34ecec8..5e22482cd5 100644
--- a/aclocal.m4
+++ b/aclocal.m4
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ m4_include([config/ax_pthread.m4])
 m4_include([config/c-compiler.m4])
 m4_include([config/c-library.m4])
 m4_include([config/check_decls.m4])
-m4_include([config/docbook.m4])
 m4_include([config/general.m4])
 m4_include([config/libtool.m4])
 m4_include([config/llvm.m4])
diff --git a/config/docbook.m4 b/config/docbook.m4
deleted file mode 100644
index 34b829eade..0000000000
--- a/config/docbook.m4
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-# config/docbook.m4
-
-# PGAC_PATH_XMLLINT
-# -----------------
-AC_DEFUN([PGAC_PATH_XMLLINT],
-[PGAC_PATH_PROGS(XMLLINT, xmllint)])
-
-
-# PGAC_CHECK_DOCBOOK(VERSION)
-# ---------------------------
-AC_DEFUN([PGAC_CHECK_DOCBOOK],
-[AC_REQUIRE([PGAC_PATH_XMLLINT])
-AC_CACHE_CHECK([for DocBook XML V$1], [pgac_cv_check_docbook],
-[cat >conftest.xml <<EOF
-<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V$1//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/$1/docbookx.dtd">
-<book>
- <title>test</title>
- <chapter>
-  <title>random</title>
-   <sect1>
-    <title>testsect</title>
-    <para>text</para>
-  </sect1>
- </chapter>
-</book>
-EOF
-
-pgac_cv_check_docbook=no
-
-if test -n "$XMLLINT"; then
-  $XMLLINT --noout --valid conftest.xml 1>&AS_MESSAGE_LOG_FD 2>&1
-  if test $? -eq 0; then
-    pgac_cv_check_docbook=yes
-  fi
-fi
-rm -f conftest.xml])
-
-have_docbook=$pgac_cv_check_docbook
-AC_SUBST([have_docbook])
-])# PGAC_CHECK_DOCBOOK
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 2f094716c7..51dd900486 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -630,10 +630,9 @@ vpath_build
 PG_SYSROOT
 PG_VERSION_NUM
 PROVE
+DBTOEPUB
 FOP
 XSLTPROC
-DBTOEPUB
-have_docbook
 XMLLINT
 TCL_SHLIB_LD_LIBS
 TCL_SHARED_BUILD
@@ -18799,7 +18798,7 @@ fi
 fi
 
 #
-# Check for DocBook and tools
+# Check for documentation-building tools
 #
 if test -z "$XMLLINT"; then
   for ac_prog in xmllint
@@ -18855,96 +18854,6 @@ $as_echo_n "checking for XMLLINT... " >&6; }
 $as_echo "$XMLLINT" >&6; }
 fi
 
-
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for DocBook XML V4.2" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for DocBook XML V4.2... " >&6; }
-if ${pgac_cv_check_docbook+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  cat >conftest.xml <<EOF
-<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd">
-<book>
- <title>test</title>
- <chapter>
-  <title>random</title>
-   <sect1>
-    <title>testsect</title>
-    <para>text</para>
-  </sect1>
- </chapter>
-</book>
-EOF
-
-pgac_cv_check_docbook=no
-
-if test -n "$XMLLINT"; then
-  $XMLLINT --noout --valid conftest.xml 1>&5 2>&1
-  if test $? -eq 0; then
-    pgac_cv_check_docbook=yes
-  fi
-fi
-rm -f conftest.xml
-fi
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $pgac_cv_check_docbook" >&5
-$as_echo "$pgac_cv_check_docbook" >&6; }
-
-have_docbook=$pgac_cv_check_docbook
-
-
-if test -z "$DBTOEPUB"; then
-  for ac_prog in dbtoepub
-do
-  # Extract the first word of "$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.
-set dummy $ac_prog; ac_word=$2
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  case $DBTOEPUB in
-  [\\/]* | ?:[\\/]*)
-  ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB="$DBTOEPUB" # Let the user override the test with a path.
-  ;;
-  *)
-  as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
-for as_dir in $PATH
-do
-  IFS=$as_save_IFS
-  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
-    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
-  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
-    ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB="$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"
-    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
-    break 2
-  fi
-done
-  done
-IFS=$as_save_IFS
-
-  ;;
-esac
-fi
-DBTOEPUB=$ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB
-if test -n "$DBTOEPUB"; then
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $DBTOEPUB" >&5
-$as_echo "$DBTOEPUB" >&6; }
-else
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; }
-fi
-
-
-  test -n "$DBTOEPUB" && break
-done
-
-else
-  # Report the value of DBTOEPUB in configure's output in all cases.
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for DBTOEPUB" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for DBTOEPUB... " >&6; }
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $DBTOEPUB" >&5
-$as_echo "$DBTOEPUB" >&6; }
-fi
-
 if test -z "$XSLTPROC"; then
   for ac_prog in xsltproc
 do
@@ -19053,6 +18962,60 @@ $as_echo_n "checking for FOP... " >&6; }
 $as_echo "$FOP" >&6; }
 fi
 
+if test -z "$DBTOEPUB"; then
+  for ac_prog in dbtoepub
+do
+  # Extract the first word of "$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy $ac_prog; ac_word=$2
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  case $DBTOEPUB in
+  [\\/]* | ?:[\\/]*)
+  ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB="$DBTOEPUB" # Let the user override the test with a path.
+  ;;
+  *)
+  as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
+    ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB="$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"
+    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+  done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+  ;;
+esac
+fi
+DBTOEPUB=$ac_cv_path_DBTOEPUB
+if test -n "$DBTOEPUB"; then
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $DBTOEPUB" >&5
+$as_echo "$DBTOEPUB" >&6; }
+else
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+  test -n "$DBTOEPUB" && break
+done
+
+else
+  # Report the value of DBTOEPUB in configure's output in all cases.
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for DBTOEPUB" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for DBTOEPUB... " >&6; }
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $DBTOEPUB" >&5
+$as_echo "$DBTOEPUB" >&6; }
+fi
+
 
 #
 # Check for test tools
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 854eba2d3a..cce153f439 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -2318,13 +2318,12 @@ if test "$with_python" = yes; then
 fi
 
 #
-# Check for DocBook and tools
+# Check for documentation-building tools
 #
-PGAC_PATH_XMLLINT
-PGAC_CHECK_DOCBOOK(4.2)
-PGAC_PATH_PROGS(DBTOEPUB, dbtoepub)
+PGAC_PATH_PROGS(XMLLINT, xmllint)
 PGAC_PATH_PROGS(XSLTPROC, xsltproc)
 PGAC_PATH_PROGS(FOP, fop)
+PGAC_PATH_PROGS(DBTOEPUB, dbtoepub)
 
 #
 # Check for test tools
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/docguide.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/docguide.sgml
index 555c7e2563..e4bab2a3b5 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/docguide.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/docguide.sgml
@@ -155,10 +155,12 @@
    You can get away with not installing DocBook XML and the DocBook XSLT
    stylesheets locally, because the required files will be downloaded from the
    Internet and cached locally.  This may in fact be the preferred solution if
-   your operating system packages provide only an old version of especially
-   the stylesheets or if no packages are available at all.  See
-   the <option>--nonet</option> option for <command>xmllint</command>
-   and <command>xsltproc</command> for more information.
+   your operating system packages provide only an old version of these files,
+   or if no packages are available at all.
+   If you want to prevent any attempt to access the Internet while building
+   the documentation, you need to pass the <option>--nonet</option> option
+   to <command>xmllint</command> and <command>xsltproc</command>; see below
+   for an example.
   </para>
 
   <sect2>
@@ -228,21 +230,37 @@ brew install docbook docbook-xsl fop
 
   <para>
    Before you can build the documentation you need to run the
-   <filename>configure</filename> script as you would when building
+   <filename>configure</filename> script, as you would when building
    the <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> programs themselves.
-   Check the output near the end of the run, it should look something
+   Check the output near the end of the run; it should look something
    like this:
 <screen>
 checking for xmllint... xmllint
-checking for DocBook XML V4.2... yes
-checking for dbtoepub... dbtoepub
 checking for xsltproc... xsltproc
 checking for fop... fop
+checking for dbtoepub... dbtoepub
 </screen>
-   If <filename>xmllint</filename> was not found then some of the following
-   tests will be skipped.
+   If <filename>xmllint</filename> or <filename>xsltproc</filename> is not
+   found, you will not be able to build any of the documentation.
+   <filename>fop</filename> is only needed to build the documentation in
+   PDF format.
+   <filename>dbtoepub</filename> is only needed to build the documentation
+   in EPUB format.
   </para>
 
+  <para>
+   If necessary, you can tell <filename>configure</filename> where to find
+   these programs, for example
+<screen>
+./configure ... XMLLINT=/opt/local/bin/xmllint ...
+</screen>
+   Also, if you want to ensure that <filename>xmllint</filename>
+   and <filename>xsltproc</filename> will not perform any network access,
+   you can do something like
+<screen>
+./configure ... XMLLINT="xmllint --nonet" XSLTPROC="xsltproc --nonet" ...
+</screen>
+  </para>
   </sect2>
  </sect1>