diff --git a/pandoc.cabal b/pandoc.cabal
index 4871aa91f..27d2840b1 100644
--- a/pandoc.cabal
+++ b/pandoc.cabal
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ extra-source-files:
                  test/command/3510-export.latex
                  test/command/3510-src.hs
                  test/command/3971b.tex
+                 test/docbook-chapter.docbook
                  test/docbook-reader.docbook
                  test/docbook-xref.docbook
                  test/html-reader.html
diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs
index 80b7798a0..4ea5f6657 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@ parseBlock (Elem e) =
                   mapM parseGlossEntry (filterChildren (named "glossentry") e)
         "glosslist" -> definitionList <$>
                   mapM parseGlossEntry (filterChildren (named "glossentry") e)
-        "chapter" -> sect 0
+        "chapter" -> modify (\st -> st{ dbBook = True}) >> sect 0
         "appendix" -> sect 0
         "preface" -> sect 0
         "bridgehead" -> para . strong <$> getInlines e
diff --git a/test/Tests/Old.hs b/test/Tests/Old.hs
index d0a1e0e4f..45e40a830 100644
--- a/test/Tests/Old.hs
+++ b/test/Tests/Old.hs
@@ -85,6 +85,8 @@ tests pandocPath =
     [ testGroup "writer" $ writerTests' "docbook4"
     , test' "reader" ["-r", "docbook", "-w", "native", "-s"]
       "docbook-reader.docbook" "docbook-reader.native"
+    , test' "reader" ["-r", "docbook", "-w", "native", "-s"]
+      "docbook-chapter.docbook" "docbook-chapter.native"
     , test' "reader" ["-r", "docbook", "-w", "native", "-s"]
       "docbook-xref.docbook" "docbook-xref.native"
     ]
diff --git a/test/docbook-chapter.docbook b/test/docbook-chapter.docbook
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..68bb60e02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/docbook-chapter.docbook
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN"
+          "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/docbookx.dtd">
+<!-- This matches the example from
+https://tdg.docbook.org/tdg/4.5/section.html, sans sectioninfo and subtitle, as
+they're currently not supported -->
+<chapter><title>Test Chapter</title>
+<para>This chapter uses recursive sections.</para>
+<section>
+<title>Like a Sect1</title>
+<para>This section is like a Sect1.</para>
+<section><title>Like a Sect2</title>
+<para>This section is like a Sect2.</para>
+<section><title>Like a Sect3</title>
+<para>This section is like a Sect3.</para>
+<section><title>Like a Sect4</title>
+<para>This section is like a Sect4.</para>
+<section><title>Like a Sect5</title>
+<para>This section is like a Sect5.</para>
+<section><title>Would be like a Sect6</title>
+<para>This section would be like a Sect6, if there was one.</para>
+<section><title>Would be like a Sect7</title>
+<para>This section would be like a Sect7, if there was one.</para>
+</section>
+</section>
+</section>
+</section>
+</section>
+</section>
+</section>
+</chapter>
diff --git a/test/docbook-chapter.native b/test/docbook-chapter.native
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..396b6a21a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/docbook-chapter.native
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+Pandoc (Meta {unMeta = fromList []})
+[Header 1 ("",[],[]) [Str "Test",Space,Str "Chapter"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "chapter",Space,Str "uses",Space,Str "recursive",Space,Str "sections."]
+,Header 2 ("",[],[]) [Str "Like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect1"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect1."]
+,Header 3 ("",[],[]) [Str "Like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect2"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect2."]
+,Header 4 ("",[],[]) [Str "Like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect3"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect3."]
+,Header 5 ("",[],[]) [Str "Like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect4"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect4."]
+,Header 6 ("",[],[]) [Str "Like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect5"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect5."]
+,Header 7 ("",[],[]) [Str "Would",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect6"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "would",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect6,",Space,Str "if",Space,Str "there",Space,Str "was",Space,Str "one."]
+,Header 8 ("",[],[]) [Str "Would",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect7"]
+,Para [Str "This",Space,Str "section",Space,Str "would",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "like",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "Sect7,",Space,Str "if",Space,Str "there",Space,Str "was",Space,Str "one."]]