diff --git a/xapian-bindings/configure.ac b/xapian-bindings/configure.ac

index e1685ec..bfd32f0 100644

--- a/xapian-bindings/configure.ac

+++ b/xapian-bindings/configure.ac

@@ -351,16 +351,7 @@ if test no != "$with_python" ; then

 	fi

       fi

     fi

-    AC_MSG_CHECKING([for python2 sphinx module])

-    if $PYTHON2 -c 'import sphinx;print(repr(sphinx.main))' >&5 2>&5 ; then

-      AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])

-    else

-      AC_MSG_RESULT([no])

-      if test yes = "$with_python" ; then

-	AC_MSG_ERROR([Couldn't import sphinx module and call sphinx.main() for Python2 - try package python-sphinx])

-      fi

-      PYTHON2=

-    fi

+

     if test -n "$PYTHON2" ; then

       dnl Check that Python.h is there, which is a good way to check that

       dnl the appropriate python-dev package has been installed.

@@ -441,16 +432,7 @@ if test no != "$with_python3" ; then

 	fi

       fi

     fi

-    AC_MSG_CHECKING([for python3 sphinx module])

-    if $PYTHON3 -c 'import sphinx' >&5 2>&5 ; then

-      AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])

-    else

-      AC_MSG_RESULT([no])

-      if test yes = "$with_python3" ; then

-	AC_MSG_ERROR([Couldn't import sphinx module for Python3 - try package python3-sphinx])

-      fi

-      PYTHON3=

-    fi

+

     if test -n "$PYTHON3" ; then

       dnl Check that Python.h is there, which is a good way to check that

       dnl the appropriate python3-dev package has been installed.

diff --git a/xapian-bindings/python/Makefile.am b/xapian-bindings/python/Makefile.am

index 6731b3f..785e6dd 100644

--- a/xapian-bindings/python/Makefile.am

+++ b/xapian-bindings/python/Makefile.am

@@ -151,9 +151,8 @@ sphinxdocs = docs/html/index.html

 install-data-local:

 	$(mkinstalldirs) '$(DESTDIR)$(docdir)/python'

-	cp -R -p `test -r docs/html || echo '$(srcdir)/'`docs/html '$(DESTDIR)$(docdir)/python'

-all-local: $(sphinxdocs)

+all-local:

 $(sphinxdocs): xapian/__init__.py xapian/_xapian$(PYTHON2_SO) docs/conf.py $(RST_DOCS) $(dist_exampledata_DATA)

 ## We need to run Sphinx for the right version of Python here, so we can't

diff --git a/xapian-bindings/python3/Makefile.am b/xapian-bindings/python3/Makefile.am

index 14fd8bf..2f6c087 100644

--- a/xapian-bindings/python3/Makefile.am

+++ b/xapian-bindings/python3/Makefile.am

@@ -158,9 +158,8 @@ sphinxdocs = docs/html/index.html

 install-data-local:

 	$(mkinstalldirs) '$(DESTDIR)$(docdir)/python3'

-	cp -R -p `test -r docs/html || echo '$(srcdir)/'`docs/html '$(DESTDIR)$(docdir)/python3'

-all-local: $(sphinxdocs)

+all-local:

 $(sphinxdocs): xapian/__init__.py xapian/_xapian$(PYTHON3_SO) docs/conf.py $(RST_DOCS) $(dist_exampledata_DATA)

 	PYTHONPATH=..:$$PYTHONPATH $(OSX_SIP_HACK_ENV) $(PYTHON3) \