diff --git a/epub-metadata.cabal b/epub-metadata.cabal
--- a/epub-metadata.cabal
+++ b/epub-metadata.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                epub-metadata
-version:             2.3.0
+version:             2.3.1
 cabal-version:       >= 1.8
 build-type:          Simple
 license:             BSD3
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 synopsis:            Library for parsing and manipulating ePub files and OPF package data
 description:         Library for parsing and manipulating ePub files and OPF package data. An attempt has been made here to very thoroughly implement the OPF Package Document specification.
 category:            Codec, Text
-tested-with:         GHC >= 7.0.3
-extra-source-files:  testsuite/*.hs, testsuite/*.opf
+tested-with:         GHC >= 7.6.1
+extra-source-files:  testsuite/*.epub, testsuite/*.hs, testsuite/*.opf
 
 source-repository    head
    type:             darcs
diff --git a/src/Codec/Epub/IO.hs b/src/Codec/Epub/IO.hs
--- a/src/Codec/Epub/IO.hs
+++ b/src/Codec/Epub/IO.hs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 import Codec.Archive.Zip
 import Control.Arrow.ListArrows ( (>>>), deep )
+import Control.Exception
 import Control.Monad.Error
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as BS
 import Data.ByteString.Lazy ( fromChunks )
@@ -73,7 +74,9 @@
 opfContentsFromBS strictBytes = do
    -- Need to turn this strict byte string into a lazy one
    let lazyBytes = fromChunks [strictBytes]
-   let archive = toArchive lazyBytes
+   result <- liftIO $ ( try $ evaluate
+      (toArchive lazyBytes) :: IO (Either SomeException Archive) )
+   archive <- either (throwError . show) return result
 
    {- We need to first extract the container.xml file
       It's required to have a certain path and name in the epub
diff --git a/testsuite/damagedZipCentralDir.epub b/testsuite/damagedZipCentralDir.epub
new file mode 100644
Binary files /dev/null and b/testsuite/damagedZipCentralDir.epub differ
diff --git a/testsuite/opf-parse.hs b/testsuite/opf-parse.hs
--- a/testsuite/opf-parse.hs
+++ b/testsuite/opf-parse.hs
@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@
 import Control.Monad.Error
 import System.Exit
 import System.FilePath
-import Test.HUnit ( Counts (..), Test (..), assertEqual, runTestTT )
+import Test.HUnit hiding ( counts )
 
+import Codec.Epub.IO
 import Codec.Epub.Opf.Package
 import Codec.Epub.Opf.Parse
 
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@
    [ testFull
    , testMinimal
    , testMissingAll
+   , testDamagedZip
    ]
 
 
@@ -192,3 +194,15 @@
             , opGuide = []
             }
    assertEqual "missing all" expected actual
+
+
+{- Occasionally epub zip files come along that are damaged in this
+   way. It's not fatal to the UNIX zip utility or to book readers, but had
+   to be specially handled in the Haskell zip-archive library or it causes
+   a fatal exception.
+-}
+testDamagedZip :: Test
+testDamagedZip = TestLabel "damaged zip" $ TestCase $ do
+   actual <- runErrorT $ opfContentsFromZip $ "testsuite"
+      </> "damagedZipCentralDir.epub"
+   actual @?= Left "Did not find end of central directory signature. Failed reading at byte position 138"