diff --git a/Lib/test/test_math.py b/Lib/test/test_math.py
index 4a54a6e..7d6ce4a 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_math.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_math.py
@@ -498,6 +498,18 @@
         self.assertEqual(math.pow(-1.1, INF), INF)
         self.assertEqual(math.pow(-1.9, INF), INF)
 
+        # pow(x, y) should work for x negative, y an integer
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**3.', math.pow(-2.0, 3.0), -8.0)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**2.', math.pow(-2.0, 2.0), 4.0)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**1.', math.pow(-2.0, 1.0), -2.0)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**0.', math.pow(-2.0, 0.0), 1.0)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**-0.', math.pow(-2.0, -0.0), 1.0)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**-1.', math.pow(-2.0, -1.0), -0.5)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**-2.', math.pow(-2.0, -2.0), 0.25)
+        self.ftest('(-2.)**-3.', math.pow(-2.0, -3.0), -0.125)
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, math.pow, -2.0, -0.5)
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, math.pow, -2.0, 0.5)
+
         # the following tests have been commented out since they don't
         # really belong here:  the implementation of ** for floats is
         # independent of the implemention of math.pow
diff --git a/Modules/mathmodule.c b/Modules/mathmodule.c
index 0e91f8f..72ee0db 100644
--- a/Modules/mathmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/mathmodule.c
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@
 {
 	PyObject *ox, *oy;
 	double r, x, y;
-	int y_is_odd;
+	int odd_y;
 
 	if (! PyArg_UnpackTuple(args, "pow", 2, 2, &ox, &oy))
 		return NULL;
@@ -531,53 +531,61 @@
 	if ((x == -1.0 || y == -1.0) && PyErr_Occurred())
 		return NULL;
 
-	/* deal directly with various special cases, to cope with problems on
-	   various platforms whose semantics don't exactly match C99 */
-
-	/* 1**x, x**0, and (-1)**(+-infinity) return 1., even if x is NaN or
-	   an infinity. */
-	if (x == 1. || y == 0. || (x == -1. && Py_IS_INFINITY(y)))
-	        return PyFloat_FromDouble(1.);
-	/* otherwise, return a NaN if either input was a NaN */
-	if (Py_IS_NAN(x))
-		return PyFloat_FromDouble(x);
-	if (Py_IS_NAN(y))
-		return PyFloat_FromDouble(y);
-	/* inf ** (nonzero, non-NaN) is one of +-0, +-infinity */
-	if (Py_IS_INFINITY(x) && !Py_IS_NAN(y)) {
-		y_is_odd = Py_IS_FINITE(y) && fmod(fabs(y), 2.0) == 1.0;
-		if (y > 0.)
-			r = y_is_odd ? x : fabs(x);
-		else
-			r = y_is_odd ? copysign(0., x) : 0.;
-		return PyFloat_FromDouble(r);
+	/* deal directly with IEEE specials, to cope with problems on various
+	   platforms whose semantics don't exactly match C99 */
+	if (!Py_IS_FINITE(x) || !Py_IS_FINITE(y)) {
+		errno = 0;
+		if (Py_IS_NAN(x))
+			r = y == 0. ? 1. : x; /* NaN**0 = 1 */
+		else if (Py_IS_NAN(y))
+			r = x == 1. ? 1. : y; /* 1**NaN = 1 */
+		else if (Py_IS_INFINITY(x)) {
+			odd_y = Py_IS_FINITE(y) && fmod(fabs(y), 2.0) == 1.0;
+			if (y > 0.)
+				r = odd_y ? x : fabs(x);
+			else if (y == 0.)
+				r = 1.;
+			else /* y < 0. */
+				r = odd_y ? copysign(0., x) : 0.;
+		}
+		else if (Py_IS_INFINITY(y)) {
+			if (fabs(x) == 1.0)
+				r = 1.;
+			else if (y > 0. && fabs(x) > 1.0)
+				r = y;
+			else if (y < 0. && fabs(x) < 1.0) {
+				r = -y; /* result is +inf */
+				if (x == 0.) /* 0**-inf: divide-by-zero */
+					errno = EDOM;
+			}
+			else
+				r = 0.;
+		}
 	}
-
-	errno = 0;
-	PyFPE_START_PROTECT("in math_pow", return 0);
-	r = pow(x, y);
-	PyFPE_END_PROTECT(r);
-	if (Py_IS_NAN(r)) {
-		errno = EDOM;
-	}
-	/* an infinite result arises either from:
-
-	   (A) (+/-0.)**negative,
-	   (B) overflow of x**y with both x and y finite (and x nonzero)
-	   (C) (+/-inf)**positive, or
-	   (D) x**inf with |x| > 1, or x**-inf with |x| < 1.
-
-	   In case (A) we want ValueError to be raised.  In case (B)
-	   OverflowError should be raised.  In cases (C) and (D) the infinite
-	   result should be returned.
-	*/
-	else if (Py_IS_INFINITY(r)) {
-		if (x == 0.)
-			errno = EDOM;
-		else if (Py_IS_FINITE(x) && Py_IS_FINITE(y))
-			errno = ERANGE;
-		else
-			errno = 0;
+	else {
+		/* let libm handle finite**finite */
+		errno = 0;
+		PyFPE_START_PROTECT("in math_pow", return 0);
+		r = pow(x, y);
+		PyFPE_END_PROTECT(r);
+		/* a NaN result should arise only from (-ve)**(finite
+		   non-integer); in this case we want to raise ValueError. */
+		if (!Py_IS_FINITE(r)) {
+			if (Py_IS_NAN(r)) {
+				errno = EDOM;
+			}
+			/* 
+			   an infinite result here arises either from:
+			   (A) (+/-0.)**negative (-> divide-by-zero)
+			   (B) overflow of x**y with x and y finite
+			*/
+			else if (Py_IS_INFINITY(r)) {
+				if (x == 0.)
+					errno = EDOM;
+				else
+					errno = ERANGE;
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (errno && is_error(r))