diff --git a/src/Makefile.in b/src/Makefile.in
index 8ecf2184..ec8278d3 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/src/Makefile.in
@@ -21,9 +21,7 @@ mk/sysconf:
 
 versfile=common/rclversion.h
 ${versfile} : VERSION
-	echo '#include <xapian/version.h>' > ${versfile}
-	echo 'static const char *rclversion = "'`cat VERSION`'"' >> ${versfile}
-	echo '" + Xapian " XAPIAN_VERSION;' 	   >> ${versfile}
+	echo 'static const char *rclversionstr = "'`cat VERSION`'";'>> ${versfile}
 
 static: mk/sysconf common/rclversion.h
 	cd lib; ${MAKE}
diff --git a/src/index/recollindex.cpp b/src/index/recollindex.cpp
index 3807b431..02485559 100644
--- a/src/index/recollindex.cpp
+++ b/src/index/recollindex.cpp
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ using namespace std;
 #include "pathut.h"
 #include "rclmon.h"
 #include "x11mon.h"
-#include "rclversion.h"
 #include "cancelcheck.h"
+#include "rcldb.h"
 
 // Globals for exit cleanup
 ConfIndexer *confindexer;
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ Usage(FILE *where = stderr)
 {
     FILE *fp = (op_flags & OPT_h) ? stdout : stderr;
     fprintf(fp, "%s: Usage: %s", thisprog, usage);
-    fprintf(fp, "Recoll version: %s\n", rclversion);
+    fprintf(fp, "Recoll version: %s\n", Rcl::version_string().c_str());
     exit((op_flags & OPT_h)==0);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qtgui/main.cpp b/src/qtgui/main.cpp
index 71009f99..b9e19774 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/main.cpp
+++ b/src/qtgui/main.cpp
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: main.cpp,v 1.73 2008-12-17 08:01:40 dockes Exp $
 #include "rclinit.h"
 #include "debuglog.h"
 #ifdef WITH_KDE
-#include "rclversion.h"
 #endif
 #include "rclmain_w.h"
 #include "ssearch_w.h"
@@ -192,7 +191,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
 #ifdef WITH_KDE
-    KAboutData about("recoll", I18N_NOOP("Recoll"), rclversion, description,
+    KAboutData about("recoll", I18N_NOOP("Recoll"), Rcl::version_string(), 
+                     description,
                      KAboutData::License_GPL, "(C) 2006 Jean-Francois Dockes", 0, 0, "jean-francois.dockes@wanadoo.fr");
     about.addAuthor( "Jean-Francois Dockes", 0, 
 		     "jean-francois.dockes@wanadoo.fr" );
diff --git a/src/qtgui/rclmain_w.cpp b/src/qtgui/rclmain_w.cpp
index 0119ce89..41267c82 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/rclmain_w.cpp
+++ b/src/qtgui/rclmain_w.cpp
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ using std::pair;
 #include "pathut.h"
 #include "smallut.h"
 #include "advsearch_w.h"
-#include "rclversion.h"
 #include "sortseq.h"
 #include "uiprefs_w.h"
 #include "guiutils.h"
@@ -627,8 +626,9 @@ void RclMain::showExtIdxDialog()
 
 void RclMain::showAboutDialog()
 {
-    string vstring = string("Recoll ") + rclversion + 
-	"<br>" + "http://www.recoll.org";
+    string vstring = Rcl::version_string() +
+        string("<br> http://www.recoll.org") +
+	string("<br> http://www.xapian.org");
     QMessageBox::information(this, tr("About Recoll"), vstring.c_str());
 }
 void RclMain::showMissingHelpers()
diff --git a/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp b/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp
index 2a442f67..3b3c6f08 100644
--- a/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp
+++ b/src/rcldb/rcldb.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: rcldb.cpp,v 1.154 2008-12-17 16:19:58 dockes Exp
 using namespace std;
 #endif /* NO_NAMESPACES */
 
+#include "xapian/version.h"
+
 #include "rclconfig.h"
 #include "rcldb.h"
 #include "rcldb_p.h"
@@ -49,6 +51,7 @@ using namespace std;
 #include "rclquery.h"
 #include "rclquery_p.h"
 #include "md5.h"
+#include "rclversion.h"
 
 #ifndef MAX
 #define MAX(A,B) (A>B?A:B)
@@ -70,6 +73,11 @@ static const unsigned int baseTextPosition = 100000;
 namespace Rcl {
 #endif
 
+string version_string(){
+    return string("Recoll ") + string(rclversionstr) + string(" + Xapian ") +
+        string(Xapian::version_string());
+}
+
 // Synthetic abstract marker (to discriminate from abstract actually
 // found in document)
 const static string rclSyntAbs("?!#@");
diff --git a/src/rcldb/rcldb.h b/src/rcldb/rcldb.h
index c4ad70b6..e24c0ee0 100644
--- a/src/rcldb/rcldb.h
+++ b/src/rcldb/rcldb.h
@@ -243,6 +243,10 @@ private:
     Db& operator=(const Db &) {return *this;};
 };
 
+// This has to go somewhere, and as it needs the Xapian version, this is
+// the most reasonable place.
+string version_string();
+
 #ifndef NO_NAMESPACES
 }
 #endif // NO_NAMESPACES