Index: Lib/test/test_operator.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_operator.py	(revision 59958)
+++ Lib/test/test_operator.py	(working copy)
@@ -386,6 +386,46 @@
                 raise SyntaxError
         self.failUnlessRaises(AttributeError, operator.attrgetter('foo'), C())
 
+        # recursive gets
+        a = A()
+        a.name = 'arthur'
+        a.child = A()
+        a.child.name = 'thomas'
+        f = operator.attrgetter('child.name')
+        self.assertEqual(f(a), 'thomas')
+        self.assertRaises(AttributeError, f, a.child)
+        f = operator.attrgetter('name', 'child.name')
+        self.assertEqual(f(a), ('arthur', 'thomas'))
+        f = operator.attrgetter('name', 'child.name', 'child.child.name')
+        self.assertRaises(AttributeError, f, a)
+
+        a.child.child = A()
+        a.child.child.name = 'johnson'
+        f = operator.attrgetter('child.child.name')
+        self.assertEqual(f(a), 'johnson')
+        f = operator.attrgetter('name', 'child.name', 'child.child.name')
+        self.assertEqual(f(a), ('arthur', 'thomas', 'johnson'))
+
     def test_itemgetter(self):
         a = 'ABCDE'
         f = operator.itemgetter(2)
Index: Modules/operator.c
===================================================================
--- Modules/operator.c	(revision 59958)
+++ Modules/operator.c	(working copy)
@@ -496,6 +496,37 @@
 }
 
 static PyObject *
+getattr_chaser(PyObject *obj, PyObject *attr)
+{
+	PyObject *splitter, *sattrs, *val, *newval;
+	Py_ssize_t i, nattrs;
+
+	splitter = PyString_FromString(".");
+	if(splitter == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	sattrs = PyUnicode_Split(attr, splitter, -1);
+	Py_DECREF(splitter);
+	if(sattrs == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	nattrs = PyList_GET_SIZE(sattrs);
+
+	val = obj;
+	Py_INCREF(val);
+	for(i = 0; i < nattrs; i++) {
+		newval = PyObject_GetAttr(val, PyList_GET_ITEM(sattrs, i));
+		Py_DECREF(val);
+		val = newval;
+		if(val == NULL)
+			break;
+	}
+
+	Py_DECREF(sattrs);
+	return val;
+}
+
+static PyObject *
 attrgetter_call(attrgetterobject *ag, PyObject *args, PyObject *kw)
 {
 	PyObject *obj, *result;
@@ -504,7 +535,7 @@
 	if (!PyArg_UnpackTuple(args, "attrgetter", 1, 1, &obj))
 		return NULL;
 	if (ag->nattrs == 1)
-		return PyObject_GetAttr(obj, ag->attr);
+		return getattr_chaser(obj, ag->attr);
 
 	assert(PyTuple_Check(ag->attr));
 	assert(PyTuple_GET_SIZE(ag->attr) == nattrs);
@@ -516,7 +547,7 @@
 	for (i=0 ; i < nattrs ; i++) {
 		PyObject *attr, *val;
 		attr = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(ag->attr, i);
-		val = PyObject_GetAttr(obj, attr);
+		val = getattr_chaser(obj, attr);
 		if (val == NULL) {
 			Py_DECREF(result);
 			return NULL;
@@ -531,7 +562,9 @@
 \n\
 Return a callable object that fetches the given attribute(s) from its operand.\n\
 After, f=attrgetter('name'), the call f(r) returns r.name.\n\
-After, g=attrgetter('name', 'date'), the call g(r) returns (r.name, r.date).");
+After, g=attrgetter('name', 'date'), the call g(r) returns (r.name, r.date).\n\
+After, h=attrgetter('name.first', 'name.last'), the call h(r) returns\n\
+(r.name.first, r.name.last).");
 
 static PyTypeObject attrgetter_type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)