diff --git a/collects/scribble/html-render.ss b/collects/scribble/html-render.ss
index 8888b06062..6be22c6091 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/html-render.ss
+++ b/collects/scribble/html-render.ss
@@ -1119,7 +1119,7 @@
 
     (define/override (render-blockquote t part ri)
       `((blockquote ,(if (string? (blockquote-style t))
-                       `([class ,(blockquote-style t)])
+                       `([class ,(regexp-replace #rx"^[\\]" (blockquote-style t) "")])
                        `())
           ,@(append-map (lambda (i) (render-block i part ri #f))
                         (blockquote-paragraphs t)))))
diff --git a/collects/scribble/latex-render.ss b/collects/scribble/latex-render.ss
index 8f0a8c7428..35dc6155b8 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/latex-render.ss
+++ b/collects/scribble/latex-render.ss
@@ -403,10 +403,14 @@
 
     (define/override (render-blockquote t part ri)
       (let ([kind (or (blockquote-style t) "quote")])
-        (printf "\\begin{~a}" kind)
+        (if (regexp-match #rx"^[\\]" kind)
+            (printf "~a{" kind)
+            (printf "\\begin{~a}" kind))
         (parameterize ([current-table-mode (list "blockquote" t)])
           (render-flow (make-flow (blockquote-paragraphs t)) part ri #f))
-        (printf "\\end{~a}" kind)
+        (if (regexp-match #rx"^[\\]" kind)
+            (printf "}")
+            (printf "\\end{~a}" kind))
         null))
 
     (define/override (render-other i part ri)
diff --git a/collects/scribble/private/manual-style.ss b/collects/scribble/private/manual-style.ss
index d4f0eba918..9f49153f4c 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/private/manual-style.ss
+++ b/collects/scribble/private/manual-style.ss
@@ -199,10 +199,15 @@
    `(part ,(doc-prefix '(lib "scribblings/guide/guide.scrbl") "hash-lang"))))
 
 (define (margin-note . c)
-  (make-styled-paragraph
-   (list (make-element "refcolumn"
-                       (list (make-element "refcontent" (decode-content c)))))
-   "refpara"))
+  (make-blockquote
+   "\\refpara"
+   (list
+    (make-blockquote
+     "refcolumn"
+     (list
+      (make-blockquote
+       "refcontent"
+       (flow-paragraphs (decode-flow c))))))))
 
 (define void-const
   (schemeresultfont "#<void>"))
diff --git a/collects/scribble/scribble.css b/collects/scribble/scribble.css
index 832ef53ba5..4c7f2b626f 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/scribble.css
+++ b/collects/scribble/scribble.css
@@ -152,9 +152,16 @@ table td {
   width: 13em;
   font-size: 85%;
   border: 0.5em solid #F5F5DC;
+  margin: 0 0 0 0;
 }
 
 .refcontent {
+  margin: 0 0 0 0;
+}
+
+.refcontent p {
+  margin-top: 0;
+  margin-bottom: 0;
 }
 
 /* ---------------------------------------- */
diff --git a/collects/scribble/scribble.tex b/collects/scribble/scribble.tex
index 9362008f1d..e346c5faed 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/scribble.tex
+++ b/collects/scribble/scribble.tex
@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@
 \newcommand{\schemeopt}[1]{#1}
 \newcommand{\textsub}[1]{$_{\hbox{\textsmaller{#1}}}$}
 \newcommand{\textsuper}[1]{$^{\hbox{\textsmaller{#1}}}$}
-\newcommand{\refcolumn}[1]{#1}
-\newcommand{\refcontent}[1]{#1}
 \newcommand{\intextcolor}[2]{\textcolor{#1}{#2}}
 \newcommand{\intextrgbcolor}[2]{\textcolor[rgb]{#1}{#2}}
 \newcommand{\incolorbox}[2]{{\fboxrule=0pt\fboxsep=0pt\colorbox{#1}{#2}}}
@@ -58,9 +56,12 @@
 \newcommand{\noborder}[1]{#1}
 \newcommand{\imageleft}[1]{} % drop it
 \renewcommand{\smaller}[1]{\textsmaller{#1}}
-\newcommand{\refpara}[1]{\marginpar{\raggedright \footnotesize #1}}
 \newcommand{\planetName}[1]{PLane\hspace{-0.1ex}T}
 
+\newcommand{\refpara}[1]{\marginpar{\raggedright \footnotesize #1}}
+\newenvironment{refcolumn}{}{}
+\newenvironment{refcontent}{}{}
+
 \newcommand{\titleAndEmptyVersion}[2]{\title{#1}\maketitle}
 \newcommand{\titleAndVersion}[2]{\title{#1\\{\normalsize Version #2}}\maketitle}
 
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/scribble/config.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/scribble/config.scrbl
index a27f064e1f..af22fb0779 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/scribble/config.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/scribble/config.scrbl
@@ -43,12 +43,15 @@ When a string is uses as a style in an @scheme[element],
 @scheme[styled-paragraph], @scheme[table],
 @scheme[styled-itemization], or @scheme[blockquote], it corresponds to
 a CSS class for HTML output or a Tex macro/environment for Latex
-output. In Latex output, the string is used as a macro name for a
+output. In Latex output, the string is used as a command name for a
 @scheme[styled-paragraph] and an environment name for a
-@scheme[table], @scheme[itemization], or @scheme[blockquote]. In
-addition, for an itemization, the style string is suffixed with
-@scheme["Item"] and used as a CSS class or Tex macro name to use for
-the itemization's items (in place of @tt{item} in the case of Latex).
+@scheme[table], @scheme[itemization], or @scheme[blockquote], except
+that a @scheme[blockquote] style name that starts with @litchar{\} is
+used (sans @litchar{\}) as a command instead of an environment.
+In addition, for an itemization, the style string is
+suffixed with @scheme["Item"] and used as a CSS class or Tex macro
+name to use for the itemization's items (in place of @tt{item} in the
+case of Latex).
 
 Scribble includes a number of predefined styles that are used by the
 exports of @scheme[scribble/manual], but they are not generally
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/scribble/manual.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/scribble/manual.scrbl
index ce2eb65ca3..145649a0aa 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/scribble/manual.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/scribble/manual.scrbl
@@ -1141,7 +1141,7 @@ centered table with the @scheme[pre-flow] parsed by
 an inset command-line example (e.g., in typewriter font).}
 
 @defproc[(margin-note [pre-content any/c] ...) paragraph?]{Produces
-a paragraph to be typeset in the margin instead of inlined.}
+a @tech{blockquote} to be typeset in the margin instead of inlined.}
 
 @; ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 @section[#:tag "index-entries"]{Index-Entry Descriptions}
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/scribble/struct.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/scribble/struct.scrbl
index 34b71f2cec..bc0a15666a 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/scribble/struct.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/scribble/struct.scrbl
@@ -476,7 +476,8 @@ The @scheme[style] can be
 
 A @techlink{blockquote} has a style and a list of @tech{blocks}.  The
 @scheme[style] field is normally a string that corresponds to a CSS
-class for HTML output or Latex environment for Latex output (see
+class for HTML output or Latex environment for Latex output where a
+leading @litchar{\} in the style name is treated specially (see
 @secref["extra-style"]).
 
 }