diff --git a/pymarc/record.py b/pymarc/record.py
index c7b8c5f..9f74cf1 100644
--- a/pymarc/record.py
+++ b/pymarc/record.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 
 isbn_regex = re.compile(r'([0-9\-xX]+)')
 
+@six.python_2_unicode_compatible
 class Record(Iterator):
     """
     A class for representing a MARC record. Each Record object is made up of
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ def __str__(self):
         """
         # join is significantly faster than concatenation
         text_list = ['=LDR  %s' % self.leader]
-        text_list.extend([str(field) for field in self.fields])
+        text_list.extend([six.text_type(field) for field in self.fields])
         text = '\n'.join(text_list) + '\n'
         return text
 
diff --git a/test/diacritic.dat b/test/diacritic.dat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7676318
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/diacritic.dat
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+02710cam a22003018a 45000010009000000050017000090080041000269060045000679250104001129550080002160100017002960200029003130200026003420400013003680500023003810820017004042450099004212600052005202630009005723000011005815040041005925051531006336500039021646500028022036500035022317000024022669630118022901709126920131029120147.0111220s2012    enk      b    000 0 eng    a7bcbccorignewd1eecipf20gy-gencatlg0 aacquireb2 shelf copiesxpolicy defaulteclaim1  2012-10-24eclaim2  2013-06-13eto CAD  2013-10-29  bxg08 2011-12-20ixg08 2011-12-20axg09 2011-12-21 to Deweywrd05 2011-12-23  a  2011052495  a9780415782654 (hardback)  a9780203112021 (ebook)  aDLCcDLC00aK564.C6bA835 201200a302.23/122300aAmateur media :bsocial, cultural and legal perspectives /cedited by Dan Hunter ... [et al.].  aAbingdon, Oxon ;aN.Y., NY :bRoutledge,c2012.  a1206  ap. cm.  aIncludes bibliographical references.0 aHistories of user-generated content: between formal and informal media economies / Ramon Lobato, Julian Thomas and Dan Hunter -- Competing myths of informal economies / Megan Richardson and Jake Goldenfein -- Start with the household / John Quiggin -- Amateur digital content and proportional commerce / Steven Hetcher -- YouTube and the formalisation of amateur media / Jean Burgess -- The relationship between user-generated content and commerce / Kimberlee Weatherall -- The manufacture of 'authentic' buzz and the legal relations of MasterChef / Kathy Bowrey -- Harry Potter and the transformation wand : fair use, canonicity and fan activity / David Tan -- The simulation of 'authentic' buzz : T-mobile and the flash mob dance / Marc Trabsky -- Prestige and professionalisation at the margins of the journalistic field : the case of music writers / Ramon Lobato and Lawson Fletcher -- Swedish subtitling strike called off! : fan-to-fan piracy, translation, and the primacy of authorisation / Eva Hemmungs Wirtén -- Have amateur media enhanced the possibilities for good media work? / David Hesmondhalgh -- Minecraft as Web 2.0 : amateur creativity and digital games / Greg Lastowka -- Cosplay, creativity and immaterial labours of love / Melissa de Zwart -- Web Zero: the amateur and the indie game developer / Christian McCrea -- Anonymous speech on the internet / Brian Murchison -- The privacy interest in anonymous blogging / Lisa Austin -- 'Privacy' of social networking texts / Megan Richardson and Julian Thomas. 0aSocial mediaxLaw and legislation. 0aUser-generated content. 0aInternetxLaw and legislation.1 aHunter, Dan,d1966-  aStephen Gutierrez; phone: +44-2070176003; email: stephen.gutierrez@informa.com; bc: stephen.gutierrez@informa.com
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/utf8_test.py b/test/utf8_test.py
index 2c36189..971f06b 100644
--- a/test/utf8_test.py
+++ b/test/utf8_test.py
@@ -35,6 +35,13 @@ def process_xml(record):
             # remove it
             os.remove('test/write-utf8-test.dat')
 
+    def test_combining_diacritic(self):
+        """issue 74: raises UnicodeEncodeError on Python 2"""
+        reader = pymarc.MARCReader(open('test/diacritic.dat', 'rb'))
+        record = next(reader)
+        str(record)
+
+
 def suite():
     test_suite = unittest.makeSuite(MARCUnicodeTest, 'test')
     return test_suite