diff --git a/docbook/plugin.jelly b/docbook/plugin.jelly
index aea21376..f55cbcd0 100644
--- a/docbook/plugin.jelly
+++ b/docbook/plugin.jelly
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
   <!-- ================================================================== -->
   <!-- S I M P L E   D O C B O O K   D O C U M E N T A T I O N            -->
   <!-- ================================================================== -->
-  <goal 
+  <goal
     name="docbook:transform"
     prereqs="xdoc:init"
     description="Transform any docbook-simple source into xdocs for later use">
@@ -15,13 +15,29 @@
       value="${pom.getPluginContext('maven-xdoc-plugin').getVariable('maven.gen.docs')}"/>
 
     ${systemScope.setProperty('javax.xml.transform.TransformerFactory','org.apache.xalan.processor.TransformerFactoryImpl')}
-    <ant:style 
-      basedir="${maven.docbook.src}"
-      destdir="${genDocs}" extension=".xml"
-      style="${plugin.resources}/docbook2document.xsl"
-      includes="**/*.xml, **/*.sgml"
-    />
-      
+    <j:set var="dtd" value="${maven.docbook.dtd}"/>
+    <j:if test="${empty(dtd)}">
+      <ant:style
+        basedir="${maven.docbook.src}"
+        destdir="${genDocs}" extension=".xml"
+        style="${plugin.resources}/docbook2document.xsl"
+        includes="**/*.xml, **/*.sgml"
+      />
+    </j:if>
+    <j:if test="${!empty(dtd)}">
+       <echo>Using offline DocBook DTD ${maven.docbook.dtd}</echo>
+       <ant:style
+        basedir="${maven.docbook.src}"
+        destdir="${genDocs}" extension=".xml"
+        style="${plugin.resources}/docbook2document.xsl"
+        includes="**/*.xml, **/*.sgml">
+        <ant:xmlcatalog id="cat">
+          <ant:dtd
+            publicId="-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN"
+            location="${maven.docbook.dtd}"/>
+        </ant:xmlcatalog>
+      </ant:style>
+    </j:if>
   </goal>
-  
+
 </project>
diff --git a/docbook/xdocs/properties.xml b/docbook/xdocs/properties.xml
index ba589229..73636b08 100644
--- a/docbook/xdocs/properties.xml
+++ b/docbook/xdocs/properties.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,17 @@
             source directory for the simple docbook xml files
           </td>
         </tr>
+        <tr>
+          <td>maven.docbook.dtd</td>
+          <td>Yes</td>
+          <td>
+            If set, it points to the offline DocBook DTD.
+            This allows offline transformation and DTD checking.
+            DocBook DTD is available for download at
+            <a href="http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/index.shtml">http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/index.shtml</a>.
+            Example value: "/home/msk/docbook-dtd/docbookx.dtd"
+          </td>
+        </tr>
       </table>
     </section>
   </body>