diff --git a/python/tests/readererr.py b/python/tests/readererr.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..abbbba55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/tests/readererr.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python -u
+#
+# this tests the basic APIs of the XmlTextReader interface
+#
+import libxml2
+import StringIO
+import sys
+
+# Memory debug specific
+libxml2.debugMemory(1)
+
+expect="""--> (3) test1:1:xmlns: URI foo is not absolute
+--> (4) test1:1:Opening and ending tag mismatch: c and a
+"""
+err=""
+def myErrorHandler(arg,msg,line,col,URI,severity):
+    global err
+    err = err + "%s (%d) %s:%d:%s" % (arg,severity,URI,line,msg)
+
+f = StringIO.StringIO("""<a xmlns="foo"><b b1="b1"/><c>content of c</a>""")
+input = libxml2.inputBuffer(f)
+reader = input.newTextReader("test1")
+reader.setErrorHandler(myErrorHandler,"-->")
+while reader.Read() == 1:
+    pass
+
+if err != expect:
+    print "error"
+    print "received %s" %(err)
+    print "expected %s" %(expect)
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+reader.setErrorHandler(None,None)
+if reader.getErrorHandler() != (None,None):
+    print "getErrorHandler failed"
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+#
+# cleanup for memory allocation counting
+#
+del f
+del input
+del reader
+
+# Memory debug specific
+libxml2.cleanupParser()
+if libxml2.debugMemory(1) == 0:
+    print "OK"
+else:
+    print "Memory leak %d bytes" % (libxml2.debugMemory(1))
+    libxml2.dumpMemory()