diff --git a/src/incremen.c b/src/incremen.c
index 7130bc2..e4ceb98 100644
--- a/src/incremen.c
+++ b/src/incremen.c
@@ -1084,37 +1084,78 @@ read_obstack (FILE *fp, struct obstack *stk, size_t *pcount)
    already been read.
 
    Throw a fatal error if the string cannot be converted or if the
-   converted value is less than MIN_VAL.  */
+   converted value is less than MIN_VAL.  (FIELDNAME is used only as part
+   of these error messages.) */
 
 static void
-read_negative_num (FILE *fp, intmax_t min_val, intmax_t *pval)
+read_negative_num (FILE *fp, const char *fieldname, intmax_t min_val, intmax_t *pval)
 {
   int c;
   size_t i;
   char buf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (intmax_t)];
+  char offbuf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (off_t)];
   char *ep;
   buf[0] = '-';
 
   for (i = 1; ISDIGIT (c = getc (fp)); i++)
     {
-      if (i == sizeof buf - 1)
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, _("Field too long while reading snapshot file")));
+      if (i == sizeof buf - 1) {
+	buf[i] = 0;
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		      _("Field too long while reading snapshot file"),
+		      buf,
+		      fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+	}
       buf[i] = c;
     }
+  buf[i] = 0;
 
   if (c < 0)
     {
       if (ferror (fp))
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, _("Read error in snapshot file")));
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		      _("Read error in snapshot file"),
+		      buf,
+		      fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
       else
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file")));
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		      _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file"),
+		      buf,
+		      fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
     }
+  if (c)
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   non-numeric character 0x%x found after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file"),
+		  c, buf,
+		  fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
 
-  buf[i] = 0;
   errno = 0;
   *pval = strtoimax (buf, &ep, 10);
-  if (c || errno || *pval < min_val)
-    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file")));
+  if (errno)
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   strtoimax failed on value \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file"),
+		  buf,
+		  fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+  if (*pval < min_val) {
+    char minbuf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (intmax_t)];
+     
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   value \"%s\" below min %s [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"),
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file"),
+		  buf, imaxtostr(min_val,minbuf),
+		  fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+    }
 }
 
 /* Read from file FP a nul-terminated string and convert it to
@@ -1122,47 +1163,90 @@ read_negative_num (FILE *fp, intmax_t min_val, intmax_t *pval)
    value in PVAL.  Assume C has already been read.
 
    Throw a fatal error if the string cannot be converted or if the
-   converted value exceeds MAX_VAL.
+   converted value exceeds MAX_VAL.  (FIELDNAME is used only as part
+   of these error messages.)
 
    Return the last character read or EOF on end of file. */
 
 static int
-read_unsigned_num (int c, FILE *fp, uintmax_t max_val, intmax_t *pval)
+read_unsigned_num (int c, FILE *fp, const char *fieldname, uintmax_t max_val, intmax_t *pval)
 {
   size_t i;
   uintmax_t u;
   char buf[UINTMAX_STRSIZE_BOUND], *ep;
+  char offbuf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (off_t)];
 
   for (i = 0; ISDIGIT (c); i++)
     {
-      if (i == sizeof buf - 1)
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, _("Field too long while reading snapshot file")));
+      if (i == sizeof buf - 1) {
+	buf[i] = 0;
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		      _("Field too long while reading snapshot file"),
+		      buf,
+		      fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+	}
       buf[i] = c;
       c = getc (fp);
     }
+  buf[i] = 0;
 
   if (c < 0)
     {
       if (ferror (fp))
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, _("Read error in snapshot file")));
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		      _("Read error in snapshot file"),
+		      buf,
+		      fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
       else if (i == 0)
 	return c;
       else
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file")));
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		      _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file"),
+		      buf,
+		      fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
     }
+  if (c)
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   non-numeric character 0x%x found after reading \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file"),
+		  c, buf,
+		  fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
 
-  buf[i] = 0;
   errno = 0;
   u = strtoumax (buf, &ep, 10);
-  if (c || errno || max_val < u)
-    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file")));
+  if (errno)
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   strtoumax failed on value \"%s\" [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file"),
+		  buf,
+		  fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+  if (max_val < u) {
+    char maxbuf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (uintmax_t)];
+
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, errno, 
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   value \"%s\" exceeds max %s [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"),
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected field value in snapshot file"),
+		  buf, uinttostr(max_val,maxbuf),
+		  fieldname, offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+    }
   *pval = represent_uintmax (u);
   return c;
 }
 
 /* Read from file FP a nul-terminated string and convert it to
-   an integer in the range MIN_VAL..MAXVAL.  Return the resulting
-   value, converted to intmax_t, in PVAL.  MINVAL must be nonpositive.
+   an integer in the range MIN_VAL..MAX_VAL.  Return the resulting
+   value, converted to intmax_t, in PVAL.  MIN_VAL must be nonpositive
+   and MAX_VAL positive.  FIELDNAME simply a label for the snapshot-file
+   field currently being read, used only for generating error messages.
 
    Throw a fatal error if the string cannot be converted or if the
    converted value is out of range.
@@ -1170,15 +1254,15 @@ read_unsigned_num (int c, FILE *fp, uintmax_t max_val, intmax_t *pval)
    Return the last character read or EOF on end of file. */
 
 static int
-read_num (FILE *fp, intmax_t min_val, uintmax_t max_val, intmax_t *pval)
+read_num (FILE *fp, const char *fieldname, intmax_t min_val, uintmax_t max_val, intmax_t *pval)
 {
   int c = getc (fp);
   if (c == '-')
     {
-      read_negative_num (fp, min_val, pval);
+      read_negative_num (fp, fieldname, min_val, pval);
       return 0;
     }
-  return read_unsigned_num (c, fp, max_val, pval);
+  return read_unsigned_num (c, fp, fieldname, max_val, pval);
 }
 
 /* Read from FP two NUL-terminated strings representing a struct
@@ -1189,14 +1273,24 @@ read_num (FILE *fp, intmax_t min_val, uintmax_t max_val, intmax_t *pval)
 static void
 read_timespec (FILE *fp, struct timespec *pval)
 {
+  char offbuf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (off_t)];
   intmax_t i;
-  int c = read_num (fp, TYPE_MINIMUM (time_t), TYPE_MAXIMUM (time_t), &i);
+  int c = read_num (fp, "tv_sec", TYPE_MINIMUM (time_t), TYPE_MAXIMUM (time_t), &i);
   pval->tv_sec = i;
 
-  if (c || read_num (fp, 0, BILLION - 1, &i))
-    FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, "%s: %s",
+  if (c)
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0,
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   at start of field [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
 		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
-		  _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file")));
+		  _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file"),
+		  "tv_sec", offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
+
+  if (read_num (fp, "tv_nsec", 0, BILLION - 1, &i))
+    FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0,
+		  _("%s: %s:\n   at start of field [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"), 
+		  quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
+		  _("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file"),
+		  "tv_nsec", offtostr(ftello(fp),offbuf) ));
   pval->tv_nsec = i;
 }
 
@@ -1205,6 +1299,7 @@ static void
 read_incr_db_2 (void)
 {
   struct obstack stk;
+  char offbuf[INT_BUFSIZE_BOUND (off_t)];
 
   obstack_init (&stk);
 
@@ -1221,19 +1316,19 @@ read_incr_db_2 (void)
       char *content;
       size_t s;
 
-      if (read_num (listed_incremental_stream, 0, 1, &i))
+      if (read_num (listed_incremental_stream, "nfs", 0, 1, &i))
 	return; /* Normal return */
 
       nfs = i;
 
       read_timespec (listed_incremental_stream, &mtime);
 
-      if (read_num (listed_incremental_stream,
+      if (read_num (listed_incremental_stream, "dev",
 		    TYPE_MINIMUM (dev_t), TYPE_MAXIMUM (dev_t), &i))
 	break;
       dev = i;
 
-      if (read_num (listed_incremental_stream,
+      if (read_num (listed_incremental_stream, "ino",
 		    TYPE_MINIMUM (ino_t), TYPE_MAXIMUM (ino_t), &i))
 	break;
       ino = i;
@@ -1246,17 +1341,22 @@ read_incr_db_2 (void)
       while (read_obstack (listed_incremental_stream, &stk, &s) == 0 && s > 1)
 	;
       if (getc (listed_incremental_stream) != 0)
-	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, "%s: %s",
+	FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, 
+		      _("%s: %s:\n   at end of dumpdir data [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"),
 		      quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
-		      _("Missing record terminator")));
+		      _("Missing record terminator"),
+		     "dircontents", offtostr(ftello(listed_incremental_stream),offbuf) ));
 
       content = obstack_finish (&stk);
       note_directory (name, mtime, dev, ino, nfs, false, content);
       obstack_free (&stk, content);
     }
-  FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, "%s: %s",
+  FATAL_ERROR ((0, 0, 
+		_("%s: %s:\n   at start of new field [field \"%s\" at byte %s]"),
 		quotearg_colon (listed_incremental_option),
-		_("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file")));
+		_("Unexpected EOF in snapshot file"),
+		"?", offtostr(ftello(listed_incremental_stream),offbuf) ));
+
 }
 
 /* Read incremental snapshot file (directory file).