diff --git a/Doc/lib/libinspect.tex b/Doc/lib/libinspect.tex
index 5cabb80..b61a6e0 100644
--- a/Doc/lib/libinspect.tex
+++ b/Doc/lib/libinspect.tex
@@ -180,13 +180,32 @@
   Return true if the object is a data descriptor.
 
   Data descriptors have both a __get__ and a __set__ attribute.  Examples are
-  properties (defined in Python) and getsets and members (defined in C).
-  Typically, data descriptors will also have __name__ and __doc__ attributes 
-  (properties, getsets, and members have both of these attributes), but this 
-  is not guaranteed.
+  properties (defined in Python), getsets, and members.  The latter two are
+  defined in C and there are more specific tests available for those types,
+  which is robust across Python implementations.  Typically, data descriptors
+  will also have __name__ and __doc__ attributes (properties, getsets, and
+  members have both of these attributes), but this is not guaranteed.
 \versionadded{2.3}
 \end{funcdesc}
 
+\begin{funcdesc}{isgetsetdescriptor}{object}
+  Return true if the object is a getset descriptor.
+
+  getsets are attributes defined in extension modules via \code{PyGetSetDef}
+  structures.  For Python implementations without such types, this method will
+  always return \code{False}.
+\versionadded{2.5}
+\end{funcdesc}
+
+\begin{funcdesc}{ismemberdescriptor}{object}
+  Return true if the object is a member descriptor.
+
+  Member descriptors are attributes defined in extension modules via
+  \code{PyMemberDef} structures.  For Python implementations without such
+  types, this method will always return \code{False}.
+\versionadded{2.5}
+\end{funcdesc}
+
 \subsection{Retrieving source code
             \label{inspect-source}}
 
diff --git a/Doc/lib/libtypes.tex b/Doc/lib/libtypes.tex
index 19d2faa..5e0c5a6 100644
--- a/Doc/lib/libtypes.tex
+++ b/Doc/lib/libtypes.tex
@@ -180,6 +180,30 @@
 \function{buffer()}\bifuncindex{buffer} function.
 \end{datadesc}
 
+\begin{datadesc}{DictProxyType}
+The type of dict proxies, such as \code{TypeType.__dict__}.
+\end{datadesc}
+
+\begin{datadesc}{NotImplementedType}
+The type of \code{NotImplemented}
+\end{datadesc}
+
+\begin{datadesc}{GetSetDescriptorType}
+The type of objects defined in extension modules with \code{PyGetSetDef}, such
+as \code{FrameType.f_locals} or \code{array.array.typecode}.  This constant is
+not defined in implementations of Python that do not have such extension
+types, so for portable code use \code{hasattr(types, 'GetSetDescriptorType')}.
+\versionadded{2.5}
+\end{datadesc}
+
+\begin{datadesc}{MemberDescriptorType}
+The type of objects defined in extension modules with \code{PyMemberDef}, such
+as \code {datetime.timedelta.days}.  This constant is not defined in
+implementations of Python that do not have such extension types, so for
+portable code use \code{hasattr(types, 'MemberDescriptorType')}.
+\versionadded{2.5}
+\end{datadesc}
+
 \begin{datadesc}{StringTypes}
 A sequence containing \code{StringType} and \code{UnicodeType} used to
 facilitate easier checking for any string object.  Using this is more
diff --git a/Lib/inspect.py b/Lib/inspect.py
index dc2fa08..0cbf521 100644
--- a/Lib/inspect.py
+++ b/Lib/inspect.py
@@ -89,6 +89,40 @@
     is not guaranteed."""
     return (hasattr(object, "__set__") and hasattr(object, "__get__"))
 
+if hasattr(types, 'MemberDescriptorType'):
+    # CPython and equivalent
+    def ismemberdescriptor(object):
+        """Return true if the object is a member descriptor.
+
+        Member descriptors are specialized descriptors defined in extension
+        modules."""
+        return isinstance(object, types.MemberDescriptorType)
+else:
+    # Other implementations
+    def ismemberdescriptor(object):
+        """Return true if the object is a member descriptor.
+
+        Member descriptors are specialized descriptors defined in extension
+        modules."""
+        return False
+
+if hasattr(types, 'GetSetDescriptorType'):
+    # CPython and equivalent
+    def isgetsetdescriptor(object):
+        """Return true if the object is a getset descriptor.
+
+        getset descriptors are specialized descriptors defined in extension
+        modules."""
+        return isinstance(object, types.GetSetDescriptorType)
+else:
+    # Other implementations
+    def isgetsetdescriptor(object):
+        """Return true if the object is a getset descriptor.
+
+        getset descriptors are specialized descriptors defined in extension
+        modules."""
+        return False
+        
 def isfunction(object):
     """Return true if the object is a user-defined function.
 
diff --git a/Lib/pydoc.py b/Lib/pydoc.py
index ff6e7ca..0fc624e 100755
--- a/Lib/pydoc.py
+++ b/Lib/pydoc.py
@@ -318,6 +318,8 @@
         # identifies something in a way that pydoc itself has issues handling;
         # think 'super' and how it is a descriptor (which raises the exception
         # by lacking a __name__ attribute) and an instance.
+        if inspect.isgetsetdescriptor(object): return self.docdata(*args)
+        if inspect.ismemberdescriptor(object): return self.docdata(*args)
         try:
             if inspect.ismodule(object): return self.docmodule(*args)
             if inspect.isclass(object): return self.docclass(*args)
@@ -333,7 +335,7 @@
             name and ' ' + repr(name), type(object).__name__)
         raise TypeError, message
 
-    docmodule = docclass = docroutine = docother = fail
+    docmodule = docclass = docroutine = docother = docproperty = docdata = fail
 
     def getdocloc(self, object):
         """Return the location of module docs or None"""
@@ -915,6 +917,10 @@
         lhs = name and '<strong>%s</strong> = ' % name or ''
         return lhs + self.repr(object)
 
+    def docdata(self, object, name=None, mod=None, cl=None):
+        """Produce html documentation for a data descriptor."""
+        return self._docdescriptor(name, object, mod)
+
     def index(self, dir, shadowed=None):
         """Generate an HTML index for a directory of modules."""
         modpkgs = []
@@ -1268,6 +1274,10 @@
         """Produce text documentation for a property."""
         return self._docdescriptor(name, object, mod)
 
+    def docdata(self, object, name=None, mod=None, cl=None):
+        """Produce text documentation for a data descriptor."""
+        return self._docdescriptor(name, object, mod)
+
     def docother(self, object, name=None, mod=None, parent=None, maxlen=None, doc=None):
         """Produce text documentation for a data object."""
         repr = self.repr(object)
@@ -1397,6 +1407,14 @@
             return 'module ' + thing.__name__
     if inspect.isbuiltin(thing):
         return 'built-in function ' + thing.__name__
+    if inspect.isgetsetdescriptor(thing):
+        return 'getset descriptor %s.%s.%s' % (
+            thing.__objclass__.__module__, thing.__objclass__.__name__,
+            thing.__name__)
+    if inspect.ismemberdescriptor(thing):
+        return 'member descriptor %s.%s.%s' % (
+            thing.__objclass__.__module__, thing.__objclass__.__name__,
+            thing.__name__)
     if inspect.isclass(thing):
         return 'class ' + thing.__name__
     if inspect.isfunction(thing):
@@ -1453,6 +1471,8 @@
         if not (inspect.ismodule(object) or
                 inspect.isclass(object) or
                 inspect.isroutine(object) or
+                inspect.isgetsetdescriptor(object) or
+                inspect.ismemberdescriptor(object) or
                 isinstance(object, property)):
             # If the passed object is a piece of data or an instance,
             # document its available methods instead of its value.
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_inspect.py b/Lib/test/test_inspect.py
index 76f2566..928af07 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_inspect.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_inspect.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import sys
+import types
 import unittest
 import inspect
+import datetime
 
 from test.test_support import TESTFN, run_unittest
 
@@ -40,10 +42,11 @@
             self.failIf(other(obj), 'not %s(%s)' % (other.__name__, exp))
 
 class TestPredicates(IsTestBase):
-    def test_eleven(self):
-        # Doc/lib/libinspect.tex claims there are 11 such functions
+    def test_thirteen(self):
+        # Doc/lib/libinspect.tex claims there are 13 such functions
         count = len(filter(lambda x:x.startswith('is'), dir(inspect)))
-        self.assertEqual(count, 11, "There are %d (not 11) is* functions" % count)
+        self.assertEqual(count, 13,
+                         "There are %d (not 12) is* functions" % count)
 
     def test_excluding_predicates(self):
         self.istest(inspect.isbuiltin, 'sys.exit')
@@ -58,6 +61,15 @@
         self.istest(inspect.istraceback, 'tb')
         self.istest(inspect.isdatadescriptor, '__builtin__.file.closed')
         self.istest(inspect.isdatadescriptor, '__builtin__.file.softspace')
+        if hasattr(types, 'GetSetDescriptorType'):
+            self.istest(inspect.isgetsetdescriptor,
+                        'type(tb.tb_frame).f_locals')
+        else:
+            self.failIf(inspect.isgetsetdescriptor(type(tb.tb_frame).f_locals))
+        if hasattr(types, 'MemberDescriptorType'):
+            self.istest(inspect.ismemberdescriptor, 'datetime.timedelta.days')
+        else:
+            self.failIf(inspect.ismemberdescriptor(datetime.timedelta.days))
 
     def test_isroutine(self):
         self.assert_(inspect.isroutine(mod.spam))
diff --git a/Lib/types.py b/Lib/types.py
index 39812ac..6c8c2b2 100644
--- a/Lib/types.py
+++ b/Lib/types.py
@@ -86,4 +86,16 @@
 DictProxyType = type(TypeType.__dict__)
 NotImplementedType = type(NotImplemented)
 
-del sys, _f, _g, _C, _x                  # Not for export
+# Extension types defined in a C helper module.  XXX There may be no
+# equivalent in implementations other than CPython, so it seems better to
+# leave them undefined then to set them to e.g. None.
+try:
+    import _types
+except ImportError:
+    pass
+else:
+    GetSetDescriptorType = type(_types.Helper.getter)
+    MemberDescriptorType = type(_types.Helper.member)
+    del _types
+
+del sys, _f, _g, _C, _x                           # Not for export
diff --git a/Makefile.pre.in b/Makefile.pre.in
index f61758c..2e66304 100644
--- a/Makefile.pre.in
+++ b/Makefile.pre.in
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@
 ##########################################################################
 # objects that get linked into the Python library
 LIBRARY_OBJS=	\
+		Modules/_typesmodule.o \
 		Modules/getbuildinfo.o \
 		$(PARSER_OBJS) \
 		$(OBJECT_OBJS) \
@@ -353,6 +354,7 @@
 $(LIBRARY): $(LIBRARY_OBJS)
 	-rm -f $@
 	$(AR) cr $@ Modules/getbuildinfo.o
+	$(AR) cr $@ Modules/_typesmodule.o
 	$(AR) cr $@ $(PARSER_OBJS)
 	$(AR) cr $@ $(OBJECT_OBJS)
 	$(AR) cr $@ $(PYTHON_OBJS)
@@ -485,7 +487,7 @@
 
 $(AST_C): $(AST_ASDL) $(ASDLGEN_FILES)
 	$(ASDLGEN) -c $(AST_C_DIR) $(AST_ASDL)
-	
+
 Python/compile.o Python/symtable.o: $(GRAMMAR_H) $(AST_H)
 
 Python/getplatform.o: $(srcdir)/Python/getplatform.c
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index cfb8cf8..199fe82 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@
 - Bug #1517996: IDLE now longer shows the default Tk menu when a
   path browser, class browser or debugger is the frontmost window on MacOS X
 
+- Patch #1520294: Support for getset and member descriptors in types.py,
+  inspect.py, and pydoc.py.  Specifically, this allows for querying the type
+  of an object against these built-in types and more importantly, for getting
+  their docstrings printed in the interactive interpreter's help() function.
+
 
 Extension Modules
 -----------------
diff --git a/Modules/_typesmodule.c b/Modules/_typesmodule.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a6f2b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Modules/_typesmodule.c
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+/* This extension module exposes some types that are only available at the
+ * C level.  It should not be used directly, but instead through the Python
+ * level types modules, which imports this.
+ */
+
+#include "Python.h"
+#include "structmember.h"
+
+typedef struct
+{
+    PyObject_HEAD
+    int member;
+} Helper;
+
+static PyMemberDef helper_members[] = {
+    { "member", T_INT,  offsetof(Helper, member), READONLY,
+      PyDoc_STR("A member descriptor")
+    },
+    { NULL }
+};
+
+static PyObject *
+helper_getter(Helper *self, void *unused) 
+{
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef helper_getset[] = {
+    { "getter", (getter)helper_getter, NULL,
+      PyDoc_STR("A getset descriptor"),
+    },
+    { NULL }
+};
+
+static PyTypeObject HelperType = {
+    PyObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL)
+    0,						/* ob_size */
+    "_types.Helper",				/* tp_name */
+    sizeof(Helper),                             /* tp_basicsize */
+    0,						/* tp_itemsize */
+    0,						/* tp_dealloc */
+    0,						/* tp_print */
+    0,						/* tp_getattr */
+    0,						/* tp_setattr */
+    0,						/* tp_compare */
+    0,                                          /* tp_repr */
+    0,                                          /* tp_as_number */
+    0,						/* tp_as_sequence */
+    0,						/* tp_as_mapping */
+    0,                                          /* tp_hash */
+    0,              				/* tp_call */
+    0,          				/* tp_str */
+    0,                                          /* tp_getattro */
+    0,						/* tp_setattro */
+    0,						/* tp_as_buffer */
+    Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT,                         /* tp_flags */
+    0,      					/* tp_doc */
+    0,						/* tp_traverse */
+    0,						/* tp_clear */
+    0,                                          /* tp_richcompare */
+    0,						/* tp_weaklistoffset */
+    0,						/* tp_iter */
+    0,						/* tp_iternext */
+    0,      					/* tp_methods */
+    helper_members,                             /* tp_members */
+    helper_getset,                              /* tp_getset */
+    0,						/* tp_base */
+    0,						/* tp_dict */
+    0,						/* tp_descr_get */
+    0,						/* tp_descr_set */
+    0,						/* tp_dictoffset */
+    0,						/* tp_init */
+    0,						/* tp_alloc */
+    0,                                          /* tp_new */
+    0,						/* tp_free */
+};
+
+PyMODINIT_FUNC
+init_types(void)
+{
+    PyObject *m;
+
+    m = Py_InitModule3("_types", NULL, "A types module helper");
+    if (!m)
+        return;
+
+    if (PyType_Ready(&HelperType) < 0)
+        return;
+
+    Py_INCREF(&HelperType);
+    PyModule_AddObject(m, "Helper", (PyObject *)&HelperType);
+}
+
+    
diff --git a/Modules/config.c.in b/Modules/config.c.in
index f811991..8c25eea 100644
--- a/Modules/config.c.in
+++ b/Modules/config.c.in
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 extern void initimp(void);
 extern void initgc(void);
 extern void init_ast(void);
+extern void init_types(void);
 
 struct _inittab _PyImport_Inittab[] = {
 
@@ -42,6 +43,9 @@
 	/* This lives in Python/Python-ast.c */
 	{"_ast", init_ast},
 
+	/* This lives in Python/_types.c */
+	{"_types", init_types},
+
 	/* These entries are here for sys.builtin_module_names */
 	{"__main__", NULL},
 	{"__builtin__", NULL},