diff --git a/README.textile b/README.textile
index 3829eaa..c41e660 100644
--- a/README.textile
+++ b/README.textile
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ url = Domainatrix.parse("http://www.pauldix.net")
 url.url       # => "http://www.pauldix.net" (the original url)
 url.public_suffix       # => "net"
 url.domain    # => "pauldix"
-url.canonical # => "net.pauldix"
+url.canonical # => "net.pauldix.www"
 
 url = Domainatrix.parse("http://foo.bar.pauldix.co.uk/asdf.html?q=arg")
 url.public_suffix       # => "co.uk"
diff --git a/lib/domainatrix/domain_parser.rb b/lib/domainatrix/domain_parser.rb
index 22452eb..a3a78ff 100644
--- a/lib/domainatrix/domain_parser.rb
+++ b/lib/domainatrix/domain_parser.rb
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ def read_dat_file(file_name)
 
     def parse(url)
       return {} unless url && url.strip != ''
-      url = "http://#{url}" unless url[/:\/\//]
+      url = "http://#{url.gsub(/^\/*/,'')}" unless url[/:\/\//]
       uri = URI.parse(url)
       if uri.query
         path = "#{uri.path}?#{uri.query}"
diff --git a/spec/domainatrix/domain_parser_spec.rb b/spec/domainatrix/domain_parser_spec.rb
index a00df73..9f8cdc8 100644
--- a/spec/domainatrix/domain_parser_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/domainatrix/domain_parser_spec.rb
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@
 
     it "includes the original url" do
       @domain_parser.parse("http://www.pauldix.net")[:url].should == "http://www.pauldix.net"
+      @domain_parser.parse("//www.pauldix.net")[:url].should == "http://www.pauldix.net"
+      @domain_parser.parse("/www.pauldix.net")[:url].should == "http://www.pauldix.net"
+      @domain_parser.parse("www.pauldix.net")[:url].should == "http://www.pauldix.net"
     end
 
     it "includes the scheme" do