diff --git a/EPUB3.c b/EPUB3.c
index 1e99265..274c143 100644
--- a/EPUB3.c
+++ b/EPUB3.c
@@ -947,11 +947,29 @@ EPUB3Error EPUB3ProcessXMLReaderNodeForMetadataInOPF(EPUB3Ref epub, xmlTextReade
             }
             else if(itemId != NULL && xmlStrcmp(itemId, BAD_CAST epub->metadata->_uniqueIdentifierID) != 0) {
               (*context)->shouldParseTextNode = kEPUB3_NO; 
-              EPUB3_FREE_AND_NULL(itemId);
             }
+            EPUB3_XML_FREE_AND_NULL(itemId);
+          }
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+
+      if(epub->metadata->version == kEPUB3Version_2) {
+        // There is no standard for cover images in EPUB 2. This is the accepted ad hoc method for defining one
+        // http://blog.threepress.org/2009/11/20/best-practices-in-epub-cover-images/
+        // http://www.mobipocket.com/dev/article.asp?BaseFolder=prcgen&File=cover.htm#IDPF2
+
+        if(xmlStrcmp(name, BAD_CAST "meta") == 0) {
+          if(xmlTextReaderHasAttributes(reader)) {
+            xmlChar * metaName = xmlTextReaderGetAttribute(reader, BAD_CAST "name");
+            if(metaName != NULL && xmlStrcmp(metaName, BAD_CAST "cover") == 0) {
+              xmlChar * coverId = xmlTextReaderGetAttribute(reader, BAD_CAST "content");
+              EPUB3MetadataSetCoverImageId(epub->metadata, (const char *)coverId);
+              EPUB3_XML_FREE_AND_NULL(coverId);
+            }
+            EPUB3_XML_FREE_AND_NULL(metaName);
           }
         }
-
       }
       break;
     }
@@ -1064,7 +1082,7 @@ EPUB3Error EPUB3ProcessXMLReaderNodeForSpineInOPF(EPUB3Ref epub, xmlTextReaderPt
             newItem->isLinear = kEPUB3_YES;
             epub->spine->linearItemCount++;
           }
-          EPUB3_FREE_AND_NULL(linear);
+          EPUB3_XML_FREE_AND_NULL(linear);
           newItem->idref = (char *)xmlTextReaderGetAttribute(reader, BAD_CAST "idref");
           if(newItem->idref != NULL) {
             EPUB3ManifestItemListItemPtr manifestPtr = EPUB3ManifestFindItemWithId(epub->manifest, newItem->idref);
@@ -1120,7 +1138,7 @@ EPUB3Error EPUB3ParseXMLReaderNodeForOPF(EPUB3Ref epub, xmlTextReaderPtr reader,
               } else if(*versionString == '3') {
                 epub->metadata->version = kEPUB3Version_3;
               }
-              EPUB3_FREE_AND_NULL(versionString);
+              EPUB3_XML_FREE_AND_NULL(versionString);
             }
           }
           else if(xmlStrcmp(name, BAD_CAST "metadata") == 0) {
@@ -1315,8 +1333,10 @@ EPUB3Error EPUB3ProcessXMLReaderNodeForNavMapInNCX(EPUB3Ref epub, xmlTextReaderP
         const xmlChar *value = xmlTextReaderValue(reader);
         if(value != NULL) {
           if(xmlStrcmp((*context)->tagName, BAD_CAST "text") == 0) {
-            EPUB3TocItemRef tocItem = (*context)->userInfo;
-            tocItem->title = strdup((const char *)value);
+            EPUB3TocItemRef tocItem = (EPUB3TocItemRef) (*context)->userInfo;
+            if(tocItem != NULL) {
+              tocItem->title = strdup((const char *)value);
+            }
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/EPUB3_private.h b/EPUB3_private.h
index 2b8bcb2..5a26425 100644
--- a/EPUB3_private.h
+++ b/EPUB3_private.h
@@ -269,6 +269,14 @@ char * EPUB3CopyOfPathByDeletingLastPathComponent(const char * path);
   } \
 } while(0);
 
+#define EPUB3_XML_FREE_AND_NULL(__epub3_xml_ptr_to_null) do { \
+  if(__epub3_xml_ptr_to_null != NULL) { \
+    xmlFree(__epub3_xml_ptr_to_null); \
+    __epub3_xml_ptr_to_null = NULL; \
+  } \
+} while(0);
+
+
 #pragma mark - Hash function
 // via: http://www.azillionmonkeys.com/qed/hash.html
 #undef get16bits
diff --git a/TestEPUB3Processor/check_EPUB3_parsing.c b/TestEPUB3Processor/check_EPUB3_parsing.c
index a9b201a..7c58258 100644
--- a/TestEPUB3Processor/check_EPUB3_parsing.c
+++ b/TestEPUB3Processor/check_EPUB3_parsing.c
@@ -353,15 +353,19 @@ START_TEST(test_epub3_parse_data_from_opf_using_broken_medallion_epub)
   EPUB3Error error = EPUB3InitFromOPF(epub, "9781605428420_epub_opf_r1.opf");
   fail_unless(error == kEPUB3Success);
   fail_if(epub->metadata == NULL);
+  assert(epub->metadata != NULL);
   fail_unless(epub->metadata->version == kEPUB3Version_2);
 
   fail_if(epub->metadata->title == NULL, "A title is required by the EPUB 3 spec.");
+  assert(epub->metadata->title != NULL);
   ck_assert_str_eq(epub->metadata->title, expectedTitle);
 
   fail_if(epub->metadata->identifier == NULL, "An identifier is required by the EPUB 3 spec.");
+  assert(epub->metadata->identifier != NULL);
   ck_assert_str_eq(epub->metadata->identifier, expectedIdentifier);
 
   fail_if(epub->metadata->language == NULL, "A language is required by the EPUB 3 spec.");
+  assert(epub->metadata->language != NULL);
   ck_assert_str_eq(epub->metadata->language, expectedLanguage);
 
   EPUB3ManifestItemRef item = EPUB3ManifestCopyItemWithId(epub->manifest, expItem1Id);
@@ -462,6 +466,9 @@ START_TEST(test_epub3_parse_manifest_from_medallion_opf_data)
   const char * expItem2Href = "broken_medallion_1.ncx";
   const char * expItem2MediaType = "application/x-dtbncx+xml";
 
+  const char * expectedCoverImgId = "my_cover_image";
+  const char * expectedCoverImgPath = "OEBPS/images/9781605421490_cvi.jpg";
+
   TEST_PATH_VAR_FOR_FILENAME(path, "broken_medallion_1.opf");
   TEST_DATA_FILE_SIZE_SANITY_CHECK(path, 9265);
   EPUB3Ref blankEPUB = EPUB3Create();
@@ -508,6 +515,14 @@ START_TEST(test_epub3_parse_manifest_from_medallion_opf_data)
   ck_assert_str_eq(item->mediaType, expItem2MediaType);
   EPUB3ManifestItemRelease(item);
 
+  fail_if(blankEPUB->metadata->coverImageId == NULL, "Cover image was not found.");
+  assert(blankEPUB->metadata->coverImageId != NULL);
+  ck_assert_str_eq(blankEPUB->metadata->coverImageId, expectedCoverImgId);
+
+  char * coverPath = EPUB3CopyCoverImagePath(blankEPUB);
+  ck_assert_str_eq(coverPath, expectedCoverImgPath);
+  free(coverPath);
+
   free(newBuf);
   EPUB3MetadataRelease(blankMetadata);
   EPUB3ManifestRelease(blankManifest);