diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index f5b53f9f7..0d2ffbbb9 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ New features added
     the directive -- this allows you to define your document
     structure, but place the links yourself.
 
+  - #52: There is now a ``hlist`` directive, creating a compact
+    list by placing distributing items into multiple columns.
+
   - #77: If a description environment with info field list only
     contains one ``:param:`` entry, no bullet list is generated.
 
diff --git a/doc/markup/para.rst b/doc/markup/para.rst
index c60eb2587..b071e46c8 100644
--- a/doc/markup/para.rst
+++ b/doc/markup/para.rst
@@ -100,6 +100,27 @@ units as well as normal text:
       .. centered:: LICENSE AGREEMENT
 
 
+.. directive:: hlist
+
+   This directive must contain a bullet list.  It will transform it into a more
+   compact list by either distributing more than one item horizontally, or
+   reducing spacing between items, depending on the builder.
+
+   For builders that support the horizontal distribution, there is a ``columns``
+   option that specifies the number of columns; it defaults to 2.  Example::
+
+      .. hlist::
+         :columns: 3
+
+         * A list of
+         * short items
+         * that should be
+         * displayed
+         * horizontally
+
+   .. versionadded:: 0.6
+
+
 Table-of-contents markup
 ------------------------
 
diff --git a/sphinx/addnodes.py b/sphinx/addnodes.py
index b267913b9..a4af584c7 100644
--- a/sphinx/addnodes.py
+++ b/sphinx/addnodes.py
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ class download_reference(nodes.reference): pass
 # for the ACKS list
 class acks(nodes.Element): pass
 
+# for horizontal lists
+class hlist(nodes.Element): pass
+class hlistcol(nodes.Element): pass
+
 # sets the highlighting language for literal blocks
 class highlightlang(nodes.Element): pass
 
@@ -99,7 +103,7 @@ class meta(nodes.Special, nodes.PreBibliographic, nodes.Element): pass
 # will choke at some point if these are not added
 nodes._add_node_class_names("""index desc desc_content desc_signature
       desc_type desc_returns desc_addname desc_name desc_parameterlist
-      desc_parameter desc_optional download_reference
+      desc_parameter desc_optional download_reference hlist hlistcol
       centered versionmodified seealso productionlist production toctree
       pending_xref compact_paragraph highlightlang literal_emphasis
       glossary acks module start_of_file tabular_col_spec meta""".split())
diff --git a/sphinx/directives/other.py b/sphinx/directives/other.py
index f19c4f9b4..cbf548bec 100644
--- a/sphinx/directives/other.py
+++ b/sphinx/directives/other.py
@@ -383,6 +383,34 @@ acks_directive.arguments = (0, 0, 0)
 directives.register_directive('acks', acks_directive)
 
 
+def hlist_directive(name, arguments, options, content, lineno,
+                    content_offset, block_text, state, state_machine):
+    ncolumns = options.get('columns', 2)
+    node = nodes.paragraph()
+    state.nested_parse(content, content_offset, node)
+    if len(node.children) != 1 or not isinstance(node.children[0], nodes.bullet_list):
+        return [state.document.reporter.warning('.. hlist content is not a list',
+                                                line=lineno)]
+    fulllist = node.children[0]
+    # create a hlist node where the items are distributed
+    npercol, nmore = divmod(len(fulllist), ncolumns)
+    index = 0
+    newnode = addnodes.hlist()
+    for column in range(ncolumns):
+        endindex = index + (column < nmore and (npercol+1) or npercol)
+        col = addnodes.hlistcol()
+        col += nodes.bullet_list()
+        col[0] += fulllist.children[index:endindex]
+        index = endindex
+        newnode += col
+    return [newnode]
+
+hlist_directive.content = 1
+hlist_directive.arguments = (0, 0, 0)
+hlist_directive.options = {'columns': int}
+directives.register_directive('hlist', hlist_directive)
+
+
 def tabularcolumns_directive(name, arguments, options, content, lineno,
                              content_offset, block_text, state, state_machine):
     # support giving explicit tabulary column definition to latex
diff --git a/sphinx/writers/html.py b/sphinx/writers/html.py
index e34b8fa9f..8c1a87ba8 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/html.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/html.py
@@ -321,6 +321,16 @@ class HTMLTranslator(BaseTranslator):
     def depart_module(self, node):
         pass
 
+    def visit_hlist(self, node):
+        self.body.append('<table class="hlist"><tr>')
+    def depart_hlist(self, node):
+        self.body.append('</tr></table>\n')
+
+    def visit_hlistcol(self, node):
+        self.body.append('<td>')
+    def depart_hlistcol(self, node):
+        self.body.append('</td>')
+
     def bulk_text_processor(self, text):
         return text
 
diff --git a/sphinx/writers/latex.py b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
index c16a42714..885cac44b 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/latex.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
         self.this_is_the_title = 1
         self.literal_whitespace = 0
         self.no_contractions = 0
+        self.compact_list = 0
 
     def astext(self):
         return (HEADER % self.elements + self.highlighter.get_stylesheet() +
@@ -652,9 +653,11 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
         raise nodes.SkipNode
 
     def visit_bullet_list(self, node):
-        self.body.append('\\begin{itemize}\n' )
+        if not self.compact_list:
+            self.body.append('\\begin{itemize}\n' )
     def depart_bullet_list(self, node):
-        self.body.append('\\end{itemize}\n' )
+        if not self.compact_list:
+            self.body.append('\\end{itemize}\n' )
 
     def visit_enumerated_list(self, node):
         self.body.append('\\begin{enumerate}\n' )
@@ -723,6 +726,21 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
     def depart_centered(self, node):
         self.body.append('\n\\end{centering}')
 
+    def visit_hlist(self, node):
+        # for now, we don't support a more compact list format
+        # don't add individual itemize environments, but one for all columns
+        self.compact_list += 1
+        self.body.append('\\begin{itemize}\\setlength{\\itemsep}{0pt}'
+                         '\\setlength{\\parskip}{0pt}\n')
+    def depart_hlist(self, node):
+        self.compact_list -= 1
+        self.body.append('\\end{itemize}\n')
+
+    def visit_hlistcol(self, node):
+        pass
+    def depart_hlistcol(self, node):
+        pass
+
     def visit_module(self, node):
         modname = node['modname']
         self.body.append('\n\\declaremodule[%s]{}{%s}' % (modname.replace('_', ''),
diff --git a/sphinx/writers/text.py b/sphinx/writers/text.py
index 5c8500fb6..4718d41d3 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/text.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/text.py
@@ -516,6 +516,16 @@ class TextTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
     def depart_centered(self, node):
         pass
 
+    def visit_hlist(self, node):
+        pass
+    def depart_hlist(self, node):
+        pass
+
+    def visit_hlistcol(self, node):
+        pass
+    def depart_hlistcol(self, node):
+        pass
+
     def visit_admonition(self, node):
         self.new_state(0)
     def depart_admonition(self, node):
diff --git a/tests/root/markup.txt b/tests/root/markup.txt
index 454762e3f..777fbd2f7 100644
--- a/tests/root/markup.txt
+++ b/tests/root/markup.txt
@@ -104,6 +104,16 @@ Reference lookup: [Ref1]_ (defined in another file).
    `Google <http://www.google.com>`_
        For everything.
 
+.. hlist::
+   :columns: 4
+
+   * This
+   * is
+   * a horizontal
+   * list
+   * with several
+   * items
+
 .. rubric:: Side note
 
 This is a side note.