diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ac3443a903dcb1a9323c37ba223ccf5e28d7a0d1..9c0fbb6605868398f0c77a780a309899d6030b70 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 # Release Version
 m4_define([project_major_version], [0])
 m4_define([project_minor_version], [8])
-m4_define([project_micro_version], [0])
+m4_define([project_micro_version], [1])
 m4_define([project_nano_version], [0])
 
 # LT_VERSION
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ m4_define([project_nano_version], [0])
 #   If public symbols have been added since last release, increment age
 #   If public symbols have been removed since last release, set age to 0
 m4_define([project_lt_current], [8])
-m4_define([project_lt_revision], [0])
+m4_define([project_lt_revision], [1])
 m4_define([project_lt_age], [0])
 
 # Combine numbers to various version variables (different uses)
diff --git a/gxml/libxml-Document.vala b/gxml/libxml-Document.vala
index a160599f112d083fb6a0d8ea4f32a93945e82166..dfe279027628db31094e8e0953922d1744555b46 100644
--- a/gxml/libxml-Document.vala
+++ b/gxml/libxml-Document.vala
@@ -475,6 +475,8 @@ namespace GXml {
 		public xDocument.from_string (string xml) {
 			Xml.Doc *doc;
 			doc = Xml.Parser.parse_memory (xml, (int)xml.length);
+			if (doc == null)
+			  doc = new Xml.Doc ();
 			this.from_libxml2 (doc);
 		}
 		/**
diff --git a/test/DocumentTest.vala b/test/DocumentTest.vala
index afb839136c1ad551eccb285d9e745708526f8a91..4829fe1a0e8d6ef75efbfe5d0c92e39b7ba0f19e 100644
--- a/test/DocumentTest.vala
+++ b/test/DocumentTest.vala
@@ -143,6 +143,17 @@ class DocumentTest : GXmlTest {
 				assert (root.first_child.node_name == "Apple");
 				assert (root.last_child.node_name == "Orange");
 			});
+		Test.add_func ("/gxml/document/construct_from_string_no_root", () => {
+				string xml;
+				xDocument doc;
+				GXml.xNode root;
+
+				xml = """<?xml version="1.0"?>""";
+				doc = new xDocument.from_string (xml);
+
+				root = doc.document_element;
+				assert (root == null);
+			});
 		Test.add_func ("/gxml/document/save", () => {
 				xDocument doc;
 				int exit_status;