diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/dbshelve.py b/Lib/bsddb/dbshelve.py
index 2959f25..c687ab5 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/dbshelve.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/dbshelve.py
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+class DBShelveError(db.DBError): pass
+
+
 class DBShelf(DictMixin):
     """A shelf to hold pickled objects, built upon a bsddb DB object.  It
     automatically pickles/unpickles data objects going to/from the DB.
@@ -152,10 +155,10 @@
         return self.db.append(data, txn)
 
     def append(self, value, txn=None):
-        if self.get_type() != db.DB_RECNO:
+        if self.get_type() == db.DB_RECNO:
             self.append = self.__append
             return self.append(value, txn=txn)
-        raise db.DBError("append() only supported when dbshelve opened with filetype=dbshelve.db.DB_RECNO")
+        raise DBShelveError("append() only supported when dbshelve opened with filetype=dbshelve.db.DB_RECNO")
 
 
     def associate(self, secondaryDB, callback, flags=0):
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py
index 7fef89c..64cf59a 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py
@@ -50,17 +50,22 @@
         except os.error:
             pass
 
+    def mk(self, key):
+        """Turn key into an appropriate key type for this db"""
+        # override in child class for RECNO
+        return key.encode("ascii")
+
     def populateDB(self, d):
         for x in letters:
-            d[('S' + x).encode("ascii")] = 10 * x           # add a string
-            d[('I' + x).encode("ascii")] = ord(x)           # add an integer
-            d[('L' + x).encode("ascii")] = [x] * 10         # add a list
+            d[self.mk('S' + x)] = 10 * x           # add a string
+            d[self.mk('I' + x)] = ord(x)           # add an integer
+            d[self.mk('L' + x)] = [x] * 10         # add a list
 
             inst = DataClass()            # add an instance
             inst.S = 10 * x
             inst.I = ord(x)
             inst.L = [x] * 10
-            d[('O' + x).encode("ascii")] = inst
+            d[self.mk('O' + x)] = inst
 
 
     # overridable in derived classes to affect how the shelf is created/opened
@@ -100,14 +105,14 @@
             print("keys:", k)
             print("stats:", s)
 
-        self.assertFalse(d.has_key(b'bad key'))
-        self.assertTrue(d.has_key(b'IA'), d.keys())
-        self.assertTrue(d.has_key(b'OA'))
+        self.assertFalse(d.has_key(self.mk('bad key')))
+        self.assertTrue(d.has_key(self.mk('IA')), d.keys())
+        self.assertTrue(d.has_key(self.mk('OA')))
 
-        d.delete(b'IA')
-        del d[b'OA']
-        self.assertFalse(d.has_key(b'IA'))
-        self.assertFalse(d.has_key(b'OA'))
+        d.delete(self.mk('IA'))
+        del d[self.mk('OA')]
+        self.assertFalse(d.has_key(self.mk('IA')))
+        self.assertFalse(d.has_key(self.mk('OA')))
         self.assertEqual(len(d), l-2)
 
         values = []
@@ -129,18 +134,18 @@
         for key, value in items:
             self.checkrec(key, value)
 
-        self.assertEqual(d.get(b'bad key'), None)
-        self.assertEqual(d.get(b'bad key', None), None)
-        self.assertEqual(d.get(b'bad key', b'a string'), b'a string')
-        self.assertEqual(d.get(b'bad key', [1, 2, 3]), [1, 2, 3])
+        self.assertEqual(d.get(self.mk('bad key')), None)
+        self.assertEqual(d.get(self.mk('bad key'), None), None)
+        self.assertEqual(d.get(self.mk('bad key'), b'a string'), b'a string')
+        self.assertEqual(d.get(self.mk('bad key'), [1, 2, 3]), [1, 2, 3])
 
         d.set_get_returns_none(0)
-        self.assertRaises(db.DBNotFoundError, d.get, b'bad key')
+        self.assertRaises(db.DBNotFoundError, d.get, self.mk('bad key'))
         d.set_get_returns_none(1)
 
-        d.put(b'new key', b'new data')
-        self.assertEqual(d.get(b'new key'), b'new data')
-        self.assertEqual(d[b'new key'], b'new data')
+        d.put(self.mk('new key'), b'new data')
+        self.assertEqual(d.get(self.mk('new key')), b'new data')
+        self.assertEqual(d[self.mk('new key')], b'new data')
 
 
 
@@ -179,12 +184,23 @@
 
         self.assertEqual(count, len(d))
 
-        c.set(b'SS')
+        c.set(self.mk('SS'))
         key, value = c.current()
         self.checkrec(key, value)
         del c
 
+    def test03_append(self):
+        # NOTE: this is overridden in RECNO subclass, don't change its name.
+        if verbose:
+            print('\n', '-=' * 30)
+            print("Running %s.test03_append..." % self.__class__.__name__)
+
+        self.assertRaises(dbshelve.DBShelveError,
+                          self.d.append, b'unit test was here')
+
+
     def checkrec(self, key, value):
+        # override this in a subclass if the key type is different
         x = key[1:]
         if key[0:1] == b'S':
             self.assertEquals(type(value), str)
@@ -289,7 +305,43 @@
 
 
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------
-# TODO:  Add test cases for a DBShelf in a RECNO DB.
+# test cases for a DBShelf in a RECNO DB.
+
+class RecNoShelveTestCase(BasicShelveTestCase):
+    dbtype = db.DB_RECNO
+    dbflags = db.DB_CREATE
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        BasicShelveTestCase.setUp(self)
+
+        # pool to assign integer key values out of
+        self.key_pool = list(range(1, 5000))
+        self.key_map = {}     # map string keys to the number we gave them
+        self.intkey_map = {}  # reverse map of above
+
+    def mk(self, key):
+        if key not in self.key_map:
+            self.key_map[key] = self.key_pool.pop(0)
+            self.intkey_map[self.key_map[key]] = key.encode('ascii')
+        return self.key_map[key]
+
+    def checkrec(self, intkey, value):
+        key = self.intkey_map[intkey]
+        BasicShelveTestCase.checkrec(self, key, value)
+
+    def test03_append(self):
+        if verbose:
+            print('\n', '-=' * 30)
+            print("Running %s.test03_append..." % self.__class__.__name__)
+
+        self.d[1] = b'spam'
+        self.d[5] = b'eggs'
+        self.assertEqual(6, self.d.append(b'spam'))
+        self.assertEqual(7, self.d.append(b'baked beans'))
+        self.assertEqual(b'spam', self.d.get(6))
+        self.assertEqual(b'spam', self.d.get(1))
+        self.assertEqual(b'baked beans', self.d.get(7))
+        self.assertEqual(b'eggs', self.d.get(5))
 
 
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -306,6 +358,7 @@
     suite.addTest(unittest.makeSuite(EnvHashShelveTestCase))
     suite.addTest(unittest.makeSuite(EnvThreadBTreeShelveTestCase))
     suite.addTest(unittest.makeSuite(EnvThreadHashShelveTestCase))
+    suite.addTest(unittest.makeSuite(RecNoShelveTestCase))
 
     return suite