diff --git a/doc/news.html b/doc/news.html
index a3344e34..3b38951a 100644
--- a/doc/news.html
+++ b/doc/news.html
@@ -29,6 +29,20 @@
     <hr>
 
     <dl class="page-index">
+      <dt>9 Sept 2003</dt>
+
+      <dd>Added new <code><a
+      href="v2/str.html#str-spec">str</a></code></dd> constructors
+      which take a range of characters, allowing strings containing
+      nul (<code>'\0'</code>) characters.
+
+      <dt>8 Sept 2003</dt>
+
+      <dd>Added the ability to create methods from function
+      objects (with an <code>operator()</code>); see the <a
+      href="v2/make_function.html#make_function-spec">make_function</a>
+      docs for more info.</dd>
+
       <dt>10 August 2003</dt>
 
       <dd>Added the new <code>properties</code> unit tests contributed by <a
diff --git a/doc/v2/str.html b/doc/v2/str.html
index 79ae74f1..dc624cee 100644
--- a/doc/v2/str.html
+++ b/doc/v2/str.html
@@ -67,8 +67,10 @@
     <p>Exposes the <a href=
     "http://www.python.org/dev/doc/devel/lib/string-methods.html">string
     methods</a> of Python's built-in <code>str</code> type. The
-    semantics of the constructors and member functions defined below
-    can be fully understood by reading the <a href=
+    semantics of the constructors and member functions defined below,
+    except for the two-argument constructors which construct str
+    objects from a range of characters, can be fully understood by
+    reading the <a href=
     "ObjectWrapper.html#TypeWrapper-concept">TypeWrapper</a> concept
     definition. Since <code>str</code> is publicly derived from
     <code><a href="object.html#object-spec">object</a></code>, the
@@ -85,7 +87,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace python
    public:
       str(); // new str
 
-      str(const char* s); // new str
+      str(char const* s); // new str
+
+      str(char const* start, char const* finish); // new str
+      str(char const* start, std::size_t length); // new str
 
       template &lt;class T&gt;
       explicit str(T const&amp; other);
diff --git a/include/boost/python/str.hpp b/include/boost/python/str.hpp
index 6fc20f9d..024712f1 100644
--- a/include/boost/python/str.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/python/str.hpp
@@ -126,6 +126,11 @@ namespace detail
       str_base(); // new str
     
       str_base(const char* s); // new str
+
+      str_base(char const* start, char const* finish);
+      
+      str_base(char const* start, std::size_t length);
+      
       explicit str_base(object_cref other);
 
       BOOST_PYTHON_FORWARD_OBJECT_CONSTRUCTORS(str_base, object)
@@ -143,6 +148,14 @@ class str : public detail::str_base
     
     str(const char* s) : base(s) {} // new str
     
+    str(char const* start, char const* finish) // new str
+      : base(start, finish)
+    {}
+    
+    str(char const* start, std::size_t length) // new str
+      : base(start, length)
+    {}
+    
     template <class T>
     explicit str(T const& other)
         : base(object(other))
diff --git a/src/str.cpp b/src/str.cpp
index fc29aa03..c2d41a8e 100644
--- a/src/str.cpp
+++ b/src/str.cpp
@@ -11,11 +11,27 @@ detail::new_reference str_base::call(object const& arg_)
 } 
 
 str_base::str_base()
-    : object(detail::new_reference(PyString_FromString("")))
+  : object(detail::new_reference(::PyString_FromString("")))
 {}
 
 str_base::str_base(const char* s)
-    : object(detail::new_reference(PyString_FromString(s)))
+  : object(detail::new_reference(::PyString_FromString(s)))
+{}
+
+str_base::str_base(char const* start, char const* finish)
+    : object(
+        detail::new_reference(
+            ::PyString_FromStringAndSize(start, finish - start)
+        )
+    )
+{}
+
+str_base::str_base(char const* start, std::size_t length) // new str
+    : object(
+        detail::new_reference(
+            ::PyString_FromStringAndSize(start, length)
+        )
+    )
 {}
 
 str_base::str_base(object_cref other)