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 dd64692345..273ff0f6f9 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -633,7 +633,6 @@ PROVE
 FOP
 XSLTPROC
 DBTOEPUB
-have_docbook
 XMLLINT
 TCL_SHLIB_LD_LIBS
 TCL_SHARED_BUILD
@@ -18548,7 +18547,7 @@ fi
 fi
 
 #
-# Check for DocBook and tools
+# Check for documentation-building tools
 #
 if test -z "$XMLLINT"; then
   for ac_prog in xmllint
@@ -18604,42 +18603,6 @@ $as_echo_n "checking for XMLLINT... " >&6; }
 $as_echo "$XMLLINT" >&6; }
 fi
 
-
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for DocBook XML V4.5" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for DocBook XML V4.5... " >&6; }
-if ${pgac_cv_check_docbook+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  cat >conftest.xml <<EOF
-<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd">
-<book>
- <title>test</title>
- <chapter>
-  <title>random</title>
-   <sect1>
-    <title>testsect</title>
-    <para>text</para>
-  </sect1>
- </chapter>
-</book>
-EOF
-
-pgac_cv_check_docbook=no
-
-if test -n "$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 "$DBTOEPUB"; then
   for ac_prog in dbtoepub
 do
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 748fb50236..bade2e0993 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2237,10 +2237,9 @@ if test "$with_python" = yes; then
 fi
 
 #
-# Check for DocBook and tools
+# Check for documentation-building tools
 #
-PGAC_PATH_XMLLINT
-PGAC_CHECK_DOCBOOK(4.5)
+PGAC_PATH_PROGS(XMLLINT, xmllint)
 PGAC_PATH_PROGS(DBTOEPUB, dbtoepub)
 PGAC_PATH_PROGS(XSLTPROC, xsltproc)
 PGAC_PATH_PROGS(FOP, fop)