diff --git a/doc/v2/object.html b/doc/v2/object.html
index 6fa48fa5..8df8ef5f 100644
--- a/doc/v2/object.html
+++ b/doc/v2/object.html
@@ -835,6 +835,8 @@ namespace boost { namespace python { namespace api
       object& operator=(object const&); 
 
       PyObject* ptr() const;
+
+      bool is_none() const;
   };
 }}}
 </pre>
@@ -895,6 +897,14 @@ PyObject* ptr() const;
       <dt><b>Returns:</b> a pointer to the internally-held Python
       object.</dt>
     </dl>
+
+<pre>
+bool is_none() const;
+</pre>
+
+    <dl class="function-semantics">
+      <dt><b>Returns:</b> result of (ptr() == Py_None)</dt>
+    </dl>
     <!-- -->
 
     <h3><a name="proxy-spec"></a>Class template <code>proxy</code></h3>
@@ -1101,7 +1111,7 @@ object sum_items(object seq)
 </pre>
     <p>Revised 
     <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->
-  27 May, 2008
+  15 March, 2010
   <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="39359" -->
     </p>
 
diff --git a/include/boost/python/object_core.hpp b/include/boost/python/object_core.hpp
index 5857422f..4d81e2ea 100644
--- a/include/boost/python/object_core.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/python/object_core.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #ifndef OBJECT_CORE_DWA2002615_HPP
 # define OBJECT_CORE_DWA2002615_HPP
 
+# define BOOST_PYTHON_OBJECT_HAS_IS_NONE // added 2010-03-15 by rwgk
+
 # include <boost/python/detail/prefix.hpp>
 
 # include <boost/type.hpp>
@@ -239,7 +241,9 @@ namespace api
         
       // Underlying object access -- returns a borrowed reference
       inline PyObject* ptr() const;
-      
+
+      inline bool is_none() const;
+
    private:
       PyObject* m_ptr;
   };
@@ -539,6 +543,11 @@ inline PyObject* api::object_base::ptr() const
     return m_ptr;
 }
 
+inline bool api::object_base::is_none() const
+{
+    return (m_ptr == Py_None);
+}
+
 //
 // Converter specialization implementations
 //
diff --git a/src/exec.cpp b/src/exec.cpp
index e772dcd7..9fe1b23b 100644
--- a/src/exec.cpp
+++ b/src/exec.cpp
@@ -17,15 +17,14 @@ namespace python
 object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL eval(str string, object global, object local)
 {
   // Set suitable default values for global and local dicts.
-  object none;
-  if (global.ptr() == none.ptr())
+  if (global.is_none())
   {
     if (PyObject *g = PyEval_GetGlobals())
       global = object(detail::borrowed_reference(g));
     else
       global = dict();
   }
-  if (local.ptr() == none.ptr()) local = global;
+  if (local.is_none()) local = global;
   // should be 'char const *' but older python versions don't use 'const' yet.
   char *s = python::extract<char *>(string);
   PyObject* result = PyRun_String(s, Py_eval_input, global.ptr(), local.ptr());
@@ -36,15 +35,14 @@ object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL eval(str string, object global, object local)
 object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL exec(str string, object global, object local)
 {
   // Set suitable default values for global and local dicts.
-  object none;
-  if (global.ptr() == none.ptr())
+  if (global.is_none())
   {
     if (PyObject *g = PyEval_GetGlobals())
       global = object(detail::borrowed_reference(g));
     else
       global = dict();
   }
-  if (local.ptr() == none.ptr()) local = global;
+  if (local.is_none()) local = global;
   // should be 'char const *' but older python versions don't use 'const' yet.
   char *s = python::extract<char *>(string);
   PyObject* result = PyRun_String(s, Py_file_input, global.ptr(), local.ptr());
@@ -55,15 +53,14 @@ object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL exec(str string, object global, object local)
 object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL exec_statement(str string, object global, object local)
 {
   // Set suitable default values for global and local dicts.
-  object none;
-  if (global.ptr() == none.ptr())
+  if (global.is_none())
   {
     if (PyObject *g = PyEval_GetGlobals())
       global = object(detail::borrowed_reference(g));
     else
       global = dict();
   }
-  if (local.ptr() == none.ptr()) local = global;
+  if (local.is_none()) local = global;
   // should be 'char const *' but older python versions don't use 'const' yet.
   char *s = python::extract<char *>(string);
   PyObject* result = PyRun_String(s, Py_single_input, global.ptr(), local.ptr());
@@ -77,15 +74,14 @@ object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL exec_statement(str string, object global, object local)
 object BOOST_PYTHON_DECL exec_file(str filename, object global, object local)
 {
   // Set suitable default values for global and local dicts.
-  object none;
-  if (global.ptr() == none.ptr())
+  if (global.is_none())
   {
     if (PyObject *g = PyEval_GetGlobals())
       global = object(detail::borrowed_reference(g));
     else
       global = dict();
   }
-  if (local.ptr() == none.ptr()) local = global;
+  if (local.is_none()) local = global;
   // should be 'char const *' but older python versions don't use 'const' yet.
   char *f = python::extract<char *>(filename);
 #if PY_VERSION_HEX >= 0x03000000
diff --git a/src/object/function.cpp b/src/object/function.cpp
index 0054966e..98c7c966 100644
--- a/src/object/function.cpp
+++ b/src/object/function.cpp
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ PyObject* function::call(PyObject* args, PyObject* keywords) const
             if (n_keyword_actual > 0      // Keyword arguments were supplied
                  || n_actual < min_arity) // or default keyword values are needed
             {                            
-                if (f->m_arg_names.ptr() == Py_None) 
+                if (f->m_arg_names.is_none())
                 {
                     // this overload doesn't accept keywords
                     inner_args = handle<>();
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ void function::add_to_namespace(
         }
 
         // A function is named the first time it is added to a namespace.
-        if (new_func->name().ptr() == Py_None)
+        if (new_func->name().is_none())
             new_func->m_name = name;
 
         handle<> name_space_name(
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ extern "C"
     static PyObject* function_get_name(PyObject* op, void*)
     {
         function* f = downcast<function>(op);
-        if (f->name().ptr() == Py_None)
+        if (f->name().is_none())
 #if PY_VERSION_HEX >= 0x03000000
             return PyUnicode_InternFromString("<unnamed Boost.Python function>");
 #else
diff --git a/src/object/pickle_support.cpp b/src/object/pickle_support.cpp
index f70eb17f..428c07b6 100644
--- a/src/object/pickle_support.cpp
+++ b/src/object/pickle_support.cpp
@@ -38,21 +38,21 @@ namespace {
       }
       object getinitargs = getattr(instance_obj, "__getinitargs__", none);
       tuple initargs;
-      if (getinitargs.ptr() != none.ptr()) {
+      if (!getinitargs.is_none()) {
           initargs = tuple(getinitargs());
       }
       result.append(initargs);
       object getstate = getattr(instance_obj, "__getstate__", none);
       object instance_dict = getattr(instance_obj, "__dict__", none);
       long len_instance_dict = 0;
-      if (instance_dict.ptr() != none.ptr()) {
+      if (!instance_dict.is_none()) {
           len_instance_dict = len(instance_dict);
       }
-      if (getstate.ptr() != none.ptr()) {
+      if (!getstate.is_none()) {
           if (len_instance_dict > 0) {
               object getstate_manages_dict = getattr(
                 instance_obj, "__getstate_manages_dict__", none);
-              if (getstate_manages_dict.ptr() == none.ptr()) {
+              if (getstate_manages_dict.is_none()) {
                   PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
                     "Incomplete pickle support"
                     " (__getstate_manages_dict__ not set)");