diff --git a/CONTRIBUTORS.txt b/CONTRIBUTORS.txt
index d2c3d18..4aa1eea 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTORS.txt
+++ b/CONTRIBUTORS.txt
@@ -74,3 +74,5 @@
     * Added Swap(), SwapElements(), and RemoveLast() to Reflection interface.
   Alexander Melnikov <alm@sibmail.ru>
     * HPUX support.
+  Oliver Jowett <oliver.jowett@gmail.com>
+    * Detect whether zlib is new enough in configure script.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 754a190..eb81a7e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -82,14 +82,38 @@
 AC_FUNC_STRTOD
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([ftruncate memset mkdir strchr strerror strtol])
 
+# Check for zlib.
 HAVE_ZLIB=0
-AS_IF([test "$with_zlib" != no],
-  [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([zlibVersion], [z],
-    [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_ZLIB], [1], [Enable classes using zlib compression.])
-     HAVE_ZLIB=1],
-    [if test "$with_zlib" != check; then
-      AC_MSG_FAILURE([--with-zlib was given, but test for zlib failed])
-     fi])])
+AS_IF([test "$with_zlib" != no], [
+  AC_MSG_CHECKING([zlib version])
+
+  # First check the zlib header version.
+  AC_COMPILE_IFELSE(
+    AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+        #include <zlib.h>
+        #if !defined(ZLIB_VERNUM) || (ZLIB_VERNUM < 0x1204)
+        # error zlib version too old
+        #endif
+        ]], []), [
+    AC_MSG_RESULT([ok (1.2.0.4 or later)])
+
+    # Also need to add -lz to the linker flags and make sure this succeeds.
+    AC_SEARCH_LIBS([zlibVersion], [z], [
+      AC_DEFINE([HAVE_ZLIB], [1], [Enable classes using zlib compression.])
+      HAVE_ZLIB=1
+    ], [
+      AS_IF([test "$with_zlib" != check], [
+        AC_MSG_FAILURE([--with-zlib was given, but no working zlib library was found])
+      ])
+    ])
+  ], [
+    AS_IF([test "$with_zlib" = check], [
+      AC_MSG_RESULT([headers missing or too old (requires 1.2.0.4)])
+    ], [
+      AC_MSG_FAILURE([--with-zlib was given, but zlib headers were not present or were too old (requires 1.2.0.4)])
+    ])
+  ])
+])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_ZLIB], [test $HAVE_ZLIB = 1])
 
 AS_IF([test "$with_protoc" != "no"], [