diff --git a/README b/README
index d8637a5..e534803 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -18,12 +18,14 @@ ibrowse is available under two different licenses. LGPL and the BSD license.
 
 Comments to : Chandrashekhar.Mullaparthi@gmail.com
 
-Version : 1.5.5
+Version : 1.5.6
 
 Latest version : git://github.com/cmullaparthi/ibrowse.git
 
 CONTRIBUTIONS & CHANGE HISTORY
 ==============================
+08-11-2009 - * Added option headers_as_is
+
 04-10-2009 - * Patch from Kostis Sagonas to cleanup some code and suppress
                dialyzer warnings
 
diff --git a/src/ibrowse.erl b/src/ibrowse.erl
index 0cfe860..eaf9aae 100644
--- a/src/ibrowse.erl
+++ b/src/ibrowse.erl
@@ -226,12 +226,16 @@ send_req(Url, Headers, Method, Body) ->
 %% request to complete will be 1000 milliseconds minus the time taken
 %% for connection setup.
 %% </li>
-%% </ul>
 %% 
 %% <li> The <code>socket_options</code> option can be used to set
 %% specific options on the socket. The <code>{active, true | false | once}</code> 
 %% and <code>{packet_type, Packet_type}</code> will be filtered out by ibrowse.  </li>
 %%
+%% <li> The <code>headers_as_is</code> option is to enable the caller
+%% to send headers exactly as specified in the request without ibrowse
+%% adding some of its own. Required for some picky servers apparently.  </li>
+%% </ul>
+%%
 %% @spec send_req(Url::string(), Headers::headerList(), Method::method(), Body::body(), Options::optionList()) -> response()
 %% optionList() = [option()]
 %% option() = {max_sessions, integer()}        |
@@ -258,7 +262,8 @@ send_req(Url, Headers, Method, Body) ->
 %%          {inactivity_timeout, integer()}    |
 %%          {connect_timeout, integer()}       |
 %%          {socket_options, Sock_opts}        |
-%%          {transfer_encoding, {chunked, ChunkSize}}
+%%          {transfer_encoding, {chunked, ChunkSize}} | 
+%%          {headers_as_is, boolean()}
 %%
 %% stream_to() = process() | {process(), once}
 %% process() = pid() | atom()
diff --git a/src/ibrowse_http_client.erl b/src/ibrowse_http_client.erl
index af1f108..4fdb334 100644
--- a/src/ibrowse_http_client.erl
+++ b/src/ibrowse_http_client.erl
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ start_link(Args) ->
     gen_server:start_link(?MODULE, Args, []).
 
 stop(Conn_pid) ->
-    gen_server:call(Conn_pid, stop).
+    catch gen_server:call(Conn_pid, stop),
+    ok.
 
 send_req(Conn_Pid, Url, Headers, Method, Body, Options, Timeout) ->
     gen_server:call(
@@ -527,8 +528,6 @@ send_req_1(From,
     end;
 send_req_1(From,
 	   #url{abspath = AbsPath,
-		host    = Host,
-		port    = Port,
 		path    = RelPath} = Url,
 	   Headers, Method, Body, Options, Timeout,
 	   #state{status = Status,
@@ -565,18 +564,9 @@ send_req_1(From,
 		      response_format        = Resp_format,
 		      from                   = From},
     State_1 = State#state{reqs=queue:in(NewReq, State#state.reqs)},
-    Headers_1 = add_auth_headers(Url, Options, Headers, State_1),
-    HostHeaderValue = case lists:keysearch(host_header, 1, Options) of
-			  false ->
-			      case Port of
-				  80 -> Host;
-				  _ -> [Host, ":", integer_to_list(Port)]
-			      end;
-			  {value, {_, Host_h_val}} ->
-			      Host_h_val
-		      end,
+    Headers_1 = maybe_modify_headers(Url, Options, Headers, State_1),
     {Req, Body_1} = make_request(Method,
-				 [{"Host", HostHeaderValue} | Headers_1],
+				 Headers_1,
 				 AbsPath, RelPath, Body, Options, State_1#state.use_proxy),
     case get(my_trace_flag) of
 	true ->
@@ -628,6 +618,25 @@ send_req_1(From,
 	    {stop, normal, State_1}
     end.
 
+maybe_modify_headers(#url{host = Host, port = Port} = Url,
+                     Options, Headers, State) ->
+    case get_value(headers_as_is, Options, false) of
+        false ->
+            Headers_1 = add_auth_headers(Url, Options, Headers, State),
+            HostHeaderValue = case lists:keysearch(host_header, 1, Options) of
+                                  false ->
+                                      case Port of
+                                          80 -> Host;
+                                          _ -> [Host, ":", integer_to_list(Port)]
+                                      end;
+                                  {value, {_, Host_h_val}} ->
+                                      Host_h_val
+                              end,
+            [{"Host", HostHeaderValue} | Headers_1];
+        true ->
+            Headers
+    end.
+
 add_auth_headers(#url{username = User,
 		      password = UPw},
 		 Options,
diff --git a/vsn.mk b/vsn.mk
index fedd2c5..4b3c4df 100644
--- a/vsn.mk
+++ b/vsn.mk
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-IBROWSE_VSN = 1.5.5
+IBROWSE_VSN = 1.5.6