diff --git a/cgen.scm b/cgen.scm
index 08b15bba..a0712d21 100644
--- a/cgen.scm
+++ b/cgen.scm
@@ -435,6 +435,7 @@
      ((eq? p 'list->string)  "Cyc_list2string")
      ((eq? p 'string->list)  "string2list")
      ((eq? p 'string-append) "Cyc_string_append")
+     ((eq? p 'string-cmp)    "Cyc_string_cmp")
      ((eq? p 'string->symbol) "Cyc_string2symbol")
      ((eq? p 'symbol->string) "Cyc_symbol2string")
      ((eq? p 'number->string) "Cyc_number2string")
@@ -486,6 +487,7 @@
     ((eq? p 'string->number) "common_type")
     ((eq? p 'list->string) "string_type")
 ;    ((eq? p 'string->list) "object")
+    ((eq? p 'string-cmp) "integer_type")
     ((eq? p 'string-append) "string_type")
     ((eq? p 'symbol->string) "string_type")
     ((eq? p 'number->string) "string_type")
@@ -497,7 +499,8 @@
     (and (prim? exp)
          (member exp '(
              current-input-port open-input-file
-             char->integer system string->number string-append list->string string->list
+             char->integer system string->number 
+             string-append string-cmp list->string string->list
              symbol->string number->string
              + - * / apply cons length cell))))
 
diff --git a/eval.scm b/eval.scm
index a044da0b..d1effaf0 100644
--- a/eval.scm
+++ b/eval.scm
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@
       (list 'char->integer char->integer)
       (list 'integer->char integer->char)
       (list 'string->number string->number)
+      (list 'string-cmp string-cmp)
       (list 'string-append string-append)
       (list 'string->list string->list)
       (list 'list->string list->string)
diff --git a/runtime.c b/runtime.c
index 2f1b4b57..b7ba836c 100644
--- a/runtime.c
+++ b/runtime.c
@@ -639,6 +639,13 @@ common_type Cyc_string2number(object str){
     return result;
 }
 
+integer_type Cyc_string_cmp(object str1, object str2) {
+  // TODO: check types of str1, str2
+  make_int(cmp, strcmp(((string_type *)str1)->str,
+                       ((string_type *)str2)->str));
+  return cmp;
+}
+
 void dispatch_string_91append(int argc, object clo, object cont, object str1, ...) {
     string_type result;
     va_list ap;
@@ -1063,6 +1070,9 @@ void _Cyc_91default_91exception_91handler(object cont, object args) {
     // TODO: this is a quick-and-dirty implementation, may be a better way to write this
     Cyc_default_exception_handler(1, args, car(args));
 }
+void _string_91cmp(object cont, object args) {  
+    integer_type cmp = Cyc_string_cmp(car(args), cadr(args));
+    return_funcall1(cont, &cmp);}
 void _string_91append(object cont, object args) {  
     integer_type argc = Cyc_length(args);
     dispatch(argc.value, (function_type)dispatch_string_91append, cont, cont, args); }
@@ -1723,6 +1733,7 @@ static primitive_type char_91_125integer_primitive = {primitive_tag, "char->inte
 static primitive_type integer_91_125char_primitive = {primitive_tag, "integer->char", &_integer_91_125char};
 static primitive_type string_91_125number_primitive = {primitive_tag, "string->number", &_string_91_125number};
 static primitive_type system_primitive = {primitive_tag, "system", &_cyc_system};
+static primitive_type string_91cmp_primitive = {primitive_tag, "string-cmp", &_string_91cmp};
 static primitive_type string_91append_primitive = {primitive_tag, "string-append", &_string_91append};
 static primitive_type string_91_125list_primitive = {primitive_tag, "string->list", &_string_91_125list};
 static primitive_type list_91_125string_primitive = {primitive_tag, "list->string", &_list_91_125string};
@@ -1819,6 +1830,7 @@ const object primitive_char_91_125integer = &char_91_125integer_primitive;
 const object primitive_integer_91_125char = &integer_91_125char_primitive;
 const object primitive_string_91_125number = &string_91_125number_primitive;
 const object primitive_system = &system_primitive;
+const object primitive_string_91cmp = &string_91cmp_primitive;
 const object primitive_string_91append = &string_91append_primitive;
 const object primitive_string_91_125list = &string_91_125list_primitive;
 const object primitive_list_91_125string = &list_91_125string_primitive;
diff --git a/runtime.h b/runtime.h
index b3e44655..c205acbf 100644
--- a/runtime.h
+++ b/runtime.h
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ object Cyc_get_cvar(object var);
 object Cyc_set_cvar(object var, object value);
 object apply(object cont, object func, object args);
 void Cyc_apply(int argc, closure cont, object prim, ...);
+integer_type Cyc_string_cmp(object str1, object str2);
 void dispatch_string_91append(int argc, object clo, object cont, object str1, ...);
 string_type Cyc_string_append(int argc, object str1, ...);
 string_type Cyc_string_append_va_list(int, object, va_list);
@@ -256,6 +257,7 @@ extern const object primitive_cddddr;
 extern const object primitive_char_91_125integer;
 extern const object primitive_integer_91_125char;
 extern const object primitive_string_91_125number;
+extern const object primitive_string_91cmp;
 extern const object primitive_string_91append;
 extern const object primitive_string_91_125list;
 extern const object primitive_list_91_125string;
diff --git a/trans.scm b/trans.scm
index d8051284..0ca18ab3 100644
--- a/trans.scm
+++ b/trans.scm
@@ -510,6 +510,7 @@
      integer->char
      string->number
      string-append
+     string-cmp
      string->list
      list->string
      string->symbol