diff --git a/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt b/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt
index 29bc86fe3..d7c229cf9 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ add_openmw_dir (mwgui
     layouts text_input widgets race class birth review window_manager console dialogue
     dialogue_history window_base stats_window messagebox journalwindow charactercreation
     map_window window_pinnable_base cursorreplace tooltips scrollwindow bookwindow list
+    formatting
     )
 
 add_openmw_dir (mwdialogue
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/bookwindow.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/bookwindow.cpp
index 4b6082b81..3491e6918 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/bookwindow.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/bookwindow.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #include "bookwindow.hpp"
 
+#include "formatting.hpp"
+
 #include "../mwbase/environment.hpp"
 #include "../mwinput/inputmanager.hpp"
 #include "../mwsound/soundmanager.hpp"
@@ -30,6 +32,12 @@ void BookWindow::open (MWWorld::Ptr book)
     MWBase::Environment::get().getSoundManager()->playSound3D (book, "book open", 1.0, 1.0);
 
     mBook = book;
+
+    ESMS::LiveCellRef<ESM::Book, MWWorld::RefData> *ref =
+        mBook.get<ESM::Book>();
+
+    //BookTextParser parser;
+    //parser.parse(ref->base->text, 0, 0);
 }
 
 void BookWindow::onCloseButtonClicked (MyGUI::Widget* _sender)
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/formatting.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/formatting.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..547c12c35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/formatting.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+#include "formatting.hpp"
+
+#include <boost/algorithm/string/replace.hpp>
+#include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
+#include <boost/property_tree/xml_parser.hpp>
+
+using namespace MWGui;
+
+MyGUI::IntSize BookTextParser::parse(std::string text, MyGUI::Widget* parent, const int width)
+{
+    mParent = parent;
+    mWidth = width;
+
+    assert(mParent);
+    while (mParent->getChildCount())
+    {
+        MyGUI::Gui::getInstance().destroyWidget(mParent->getChildAt(0));
+    }
+
+    boost::algorithm::replace_all(text, "<BR>", "\n");
+
+    // remove leading newlines
+    //while (text[0] == '\n')
+    //    text.erase(0);
+
+    // remove trailing " and newlines
+    if (text[text.size()-1] == '\"')
+        text.erase(text.size()-1);
+    while (text[text.size()-1] == '\n')
+        text.erase(text.size()-1);
+
+    return parseSubText(text, -1, MyGUI::Align::Left | MyGUI::Align::Top);
+}
+
+MyGUI::IntSize BookTextParser::parseSubText(std::string text, int textSize, MyGUI::Align textAlign)
+{
+    MyGUI::IntSize size(mWidth,0);
+
+    bool tagFound = false;
+    std::string realText; // real text, without tags
+    for (unsigned int i=0; i<text.size(); ++i)
+    {
+        char c = text[i];
+        if (c == '<')
+        {
+            if (text[i+1] == '/') // ignore closing tags
+            {
+                while (c != '>')
+                {
+                    if (i >= text.size())
+                        throw std::runtime_error("BookTextParser Error: Tag is not terminated");
+                    ++i;
+                    c = text[i];
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                tagFound = true;
+                while (c != '>')
+                {
+                    if (i >= text.size())
+                        throw std::runtime_error("BookTextParser Error: Tag is not terminated");
+
+                    c = text[++i];
+                }
+                ++i;
+                /// \todo parse tags
+                size += parseSubText(text.substr(i, text.size()), textSize, textAlign);
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        else
+            realText += c;
+    }
+
+    if (!tagFound)
+    {
+        MyGUI::EditBox* box = mParent->createWidget<MyGUI::EditBox>("NormalText",
+            MyGUI::IntCoord(0, size.height, mWidth, 24), MyGUI::Align::Left | MyGUI::Align::Top,
+            mParent->getName() + boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(mParent->getChildCount()));
+        box->setProperty("Static", "true");
+        box->setProperty("MultiLine", "true");
+        box->setProperty("WordWrap", "true");
+        box->setProperty("NeedMouse", "false");
+        box->setMaxTextLength(realText.size());
+        box->setTextAlign(textAlign);
+        box->setTextColour(MyGUI::Colour(0,0,0));
+        box->setCaption(realText);
+        box->setSize(box->getSize().width, box->getTextSize().height);
+        size += MyGUI::IntSize(0, box->getTextSize().height);
+    }
+
+    return size;
+}
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/formatting.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/formatting.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b60137f35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/formatting.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#ifndef MWGUI_FORMATTING_H
+#define MWGUI_FORMATTING_H
+
+#include <MyGUI.h>
+
+#include <boost/property_tree/ptree.hpp>
+
+namespace MWGui
+{
+    /// \brief utilities for parsing book/scroll text as mygui widgets
+    class BookTextParser
+    {
+        public:
+            /**
+             * Parse markup as MyGUI widgets
+             * @param markup to parse
+             * @param parent for the created widgets
+             * @param maximum width
+             * @return size of the created widgets
+             */
+            MyGUI::IntSize parse(std::string text, MyGUI::Widget* parent, const int width);
+
+        protected:
+            /**
+             * @param text to parse
+             * @param text size (-1 means default)
+             * @param text align
+             * @return size of the created widgets
+             */
+            MyGUI::IntSize parseSubText(std::string text, int textSize, MyGUI::Align textAlign);
+
+        private:
+            MyGUI::Widget* mParent;
+            int mWidth;
+    };
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.cpp
index a5135722f..babf439ac 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #include "scrollwindow.hpp"
 
+#include "formatting.hpp"
+
 #include "../mwbase/environment.hpp"
 #include "../mwinput/inputmanager.hpp"
 #include "../mwworld/actiontake.hpp"
@@ -10,6 +12,8 @@ using namespace MWGui;
 ScrollWindow::ScrollWindow (WindowManager& parWindowManager) :
     WindowBase("openmw_scroll_layout.xml", parWindowManager)
 {
+    getWidget(mTextView, "TextView");
+
     getWidget(mCloseButton, "CloseButton");
     mCloseButton->eventMouseButtonClick += MyGUI::newDelegate(this, &ScrollWindow::onCloseButtonClicked);
 
@@ -24,6 +28,19 @@ void ScrollWindow::open (MWWorld::Ptr scroll)
     MWBase::Environment::get().getSoundManager()->playSound3D (scroll, "scroll", 1.0, 1.0);
 
     mScroll = scroll;
+
+    ESMS::LiveCellRef<ESM::Book, MWWorld::RefData> *ref =
+        mScroll.get<ESM::Book>();
+
+    BookTextParser parser;
+    MyGUI::IntSize size = parser.parse(ref->base->text, mTextView, 390);
+
+    if (size.height > mTextView->getSize().height)
+        mTextView->setCanvasSize(size);
+    else
+        mTextView->setCanvasSize(390, mTextView->getSize().height);
+
+    mTextView->setViewOffset(MyGUI::IntPoint(0,0));
 }
 
 void ScrollWindow::onCloseButtonClicked (MyGUI::Widget* _sender)
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.hpp
index e4968995e..918a3d3ef 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/scrollwindow.hpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ namespace MWGui
         private:
             MyGUI::Button* mCloseButton;
             MyGUI::Button* mTakeButton;
+            MyGUI::ScrollView* mTextView;
 
             MWWorld::Ptr mScroll;
     };
diff --git a/files/mygui/openmw_scroll_layout.xml b/files/mygui/openmw_scroll_layout.xml
index 8641a0511..0f4a0be3e 100644
--- a/files/mygui/openmw_scroll_layout.xml
+++ b/files/mygui/openmw_scroll_layout.xml
@@ -17,15 +17,6 @@
 
         <Widget type="ScrollView" skin="MW_ScrollView" position="60 130 410 300" name="TextView">
             <Property key="CanvasSize" value="410 900"/>
-            <Widget type="EditBox" skin="NormalText" position="0 0 380 900">
-                <Property key="Caption" value="fisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idjfisdj fjidifj dij fdijf idj fjidi jfdij fidj fidj ifjdi fj idj"/>
-                <Property key="WordWrap" value="true"/>
-                <Property key="TextColour" value="0 0 0"/>
-                <Property key="TextAlign" value="ALIGN_LEFT ALIGN_TOP"/>
-                <Property key="Static" value="true"/>
-                <Property key="VisibleVScroll" value="1"/>
-                <Property key="NeedMouse" value="0"/>
-            </Widget>
         </Widget>
 
     </Widget>