diff --git a/debug.c b/debug.c
index 8ab62646..a9486f2f 100644
--- a/debug.c
+++ b/debug.c
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 /*  BSD-style license: http://synthcode.com/license.txt  */
 
 static const char* reverse_opcode_names[] =
-  {"NOOP", "CALL", "APPLY1", "CALLCC", "RESUMECC", "FCALL0", "FCALL1",
+  {"NOOP", "CALL", "APPLY1", "CALLCC", "RESUMECC", "ERROR", "FCALL0", "FCALL1",
    "FCALL2", "FCALL3", "FCALL4", "FCALL5", "FCALL6", "FCALL7", "FCALLN",
    "JUMP_UNLESS", "JUMP", "RET", "DONE",
    "STACK_REF", "STACK_SET", "GLOBAL_REF", "GLOBAL_SET", "CLOSURE_REF",
diff --git a/eval.c b/eval.c
index bccd0162..4662d054 100644
--- a/eval.c
+++ b/eval.c
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 static int scheme_initialized_p = 0;
 
 static sexp cur_input_port, cur_output_port, cur_error_port;
-static sexp exception_handler;
+static sexp exception_handler_cell;
 static sexp continuation_resumer;
 
 #ifdef USE_DEBUG
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ void analyze(sexp obj, bytecode *bc, unsigned int *i, env e,
         case OPC_ACCESSOR:
         case OPC_GENERIC:
           if (SEXP_NULLP(SEXP_CDR(obj))) {
-            errx(1, "unknown opcode class: %d", ((opcode)o1)->op_class);
+            errx(1, "opcode with no arguments: %s", ((opcode)o1)->name);
           } else if (SEXP_NULLP(SEXP_CDDR(obj))) {
             if (((opcode)o1)->op_class == OPC_ARITHMETIC_INV) {
               analyze(SEXP_CADR(obj), bc, i, e, params, fv, sv, d);
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ void analyze(sexp obj, bytecode *bc, unsigned int *i, env e,
     }
   } else if (SEXP_SYMBOLP(obj)) {
     analyze_var_ref(obj, bc, i, e, params, fv, sv, d);
-  } else {
+  } else {                      /* literal */
     emit_push(bc, i, obj);
     (*d)++;
   }
@@ -708,6 +708,21 @@ sexp vm(bytecode bc, env e, sexp* stack, unsigned int top) {
     top -= 3;
     stack[top-1] = tmp1;
     break;
+  case OP_ERROR:
+  call_error_handler:
+    sexp_write_string("ERROR: ", cur_error_port);
+    sexp_write(stack[top-1], cur_error_port);
+    sexp_write_string("\n", cur_error_port);
+    tmp1 = SEXP_CDR(exception_handler_cell);
+    stack[top-1] = SEXP_UNDEF;
+    stack[top] = (sexp) 1;
+    stack[top+1] = sexp_make_integer(ip+4);
+    stack[top+2] = cp;
+    top+=3;
+    bc = sexp_procedure_code(tmp1);
+    ip = bc->data;
+    cp = sexp_procedure_vars(tmp1);
+    break;
   case OP_FCALL0:
     stack[top-1]=((sexp_proc0)stack[top-1])();
     break;
@@ -824,6 +839,7 @@ _OP(OPC_TYPE_PREDICATE, OP_OPORTP,  1, 0, 0, 0, 0, "output-port?"),
 _OP(OPC_TYPE_PREDICATE, OP_EOFP,  1, 0, 0, 0, 0, "eof-object?"),
 _OP(OPC_GENERIC, OP_APPLY1, 2, SEXP_PROCEDURE, SEXP_PAIR, 0, 0, "apply1"),
 _OP(OPC_GENERIC, OP_CALLCC, 1, SEXP_PROCEDURE, 0, 0, 0, "call-with-current-continuation"),
+_OP(OPC_GENERIC, OP_ERROR, 1, SEXP_STRING, 0, 0, 0, "error"),
 _FN1(SEXP_PAIR, "reverse", sexp_reverse),
 _FN1(SEXP_PAIR, "list->vector", sexp_list_to_vector),
 _FN2(0, SEXP_PAIR, "memq", sexp_memq),
@@ -900,13 +916,24 @@ void repl (env e, sexp *stack) {
 }
 
 int main (int argc, char **argv) {
-  sexp obj, res, in, out, *stack;
+  sexp obj, res, in, out, *stack, err_handler, err_handler_sym;
   env e;
-  int i, quit=0;
+  bytecode bc;
+  unsigned int i, quit=0;
 
   scheme_init();
-  e = make_standard_env();
   stack = (sexp*) SEXP_ALLOC(sizeof(sexp) * INIT_STACK_SIZE);
+  e = make_standard_env();
+  bc = (bytecode) SEXP_ALLOC(sizeof(struct bytecode)+16);
+  bc->tag = SEXP_BYTECODE;
+  bc->len = 16;
+  i = 0;
+  emit_push(&bc, &i, (sexp_uint_t) SEXP_UNDEF);
+  emit(&bc, &i, OP_DONE);
+  err_handler = sexp_make_procedure((sexp)bc, sexp_make_vector(0, SEXP_UNDEF));
+  err_handler_sym = sexp_intern("*error-handler*");
+  env_define(e, err_handler_sym, err_handler);
+  exception_handler_cell = env_cell(e, err_handler_sym);
 
   /* parse options */
   for (i=1; i < argc && argv[i][0] == '-'; i++) {
@@ -927,7 +954,7 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv) {
     }
   }
 
-  repl(e, stack);
+  if (! quit) repl(e, stack);
   return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/eval.h b/eval.h
index 849e4564..045e3af0 100644
--- a/eval.h
+++ b/eval.h
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ enum opcode_names {
   OP_APPLY1,
   OP_CALLCC,
   OP_RESUMECC,
+  OP_ERROR,
   OP_FCALL0,
   OP_FCALL1,
   OP_FCALL2,
diff --git a/sexp.c b/sexp.c
index 497d2cc6..2e9db9f4 100644
--- a/sexp.c
+++ b/sexp.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ static sexp the_quote_symbol;
 static sexp the_quasiquote_symbol;
 static sexp the_unquote_symbol;
 static sexp the_unquote_splicing_symbol;
+static sexp the_empty_vector;
 
 static char sexp_separators[] = {
   /* 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  a  b  c  d  e  f         */
@@ -277,9 +278,11 @@ sexp sexp_intern(char *str) {
 
 sexp sexp_make_vector(unsigned int len, sexp dflt) {
   int i;
-  sexp v = SEXP_NEW();
+  sexp v, *x;
+  if (! len) return the_empty_vector;
+  v = SEXP_NEW();
   if (v == NULL) return SEXP_ERROR;
-  sexp *x = (void*) SEXP_ALLOC(len*sizeof(sexp));
+  x = (void*) SEXP_ALLOC(len*sizeof(sexp));
   if (x == NULL) return SEXP_ERROR;
   for (i=0; i<len; i++) {
     x[i] = dflt;
@@ -482,6 +485,8 @@ void sexp_write (sexp obj, sexp out) {
       sexp_write_string("#<eof>", out); break;
     case (sexp_uint_t) SEXP_UNDEF:
       sexp_write_string("#<undef>", out); break;
+    case (sexp_uint_t) SEXP_ERROR:
+      sexp_write_string("#<error>", out); break;
     default:
       sexp_printf(out, "#<invalid: %p>", obj);
     }
@@ -776,6 +781,10 @@ void sexp_init() {
     the_quasiquote_symbol = sexp_intern("quasiquote");
     the_unquote_symbol = sexp_intern("unquote");
     the_unquote_splicing_symbol = sexp_intern("unquote-splicing");
+    the_empty_vector = SEXP_NEW();
+    the_empty_vector->tag = SEXP_VECTOR;
+    the_empty_vector->data1 = 0;
+    the_empty_vector->data2 = 0;
   }
 }