The core line is: RewriteRule ^essays/(.*)\.html$ http://domain.com/scripts/read.php?term=$1 [L]It's doing pretty well, except: When the call is-- http://domain.com/essays/aword/anotherword.html --(where %2F url-encodes a slash, / ,) instead of passing aword%2Fanotherword as the variable $1 to the php script, the call goes to: http://domain.com/essays/aword/anotherword.html Is a major puzzlement (and pain in the elbow). Does not (.*)\.html signify that everything prior to a .html--regardless of "meaning"--will be captured into the variable $1 ? I mean, in theory I would think that I could send-- http://domain.com/essays/joke1/jest2/farce.html --along and get joke1/jest2/farce passed as the variable to the script. What am I missing here??!? POSTSCRIPT: I now discover that if the %2F is replaced by a true slash, / , the thing will work. Someone gonna havta 'splain that one to me. . . .