diff --git a/hgext/patchbomb.py b/hgext/patchbomb.py
--- a/hgext/patchbomb.py
+++ b/hgext/patchbomb.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ def makepatch(ui, repo, patchlines, opts
     if not patchname and not node:
         raise ValueError
 
-    if opts.get('attach'):
+    if opts.get('attach') and not opts.get('body'):
         body = ('\n'.join(desc[1:]).strip() or
                 'Patch subject is complete summary.')
         body += '\n\n\n'
@@ -101,7 +101,11 @@ def makepatch(ui, repo, patchlines, opts
     if opts.get('diffstat'):
         body += ds + '\n\n'
 
-    if opts.get('attach') or opts.get('inline'):
+    addattachment = opts.get('attach') or opts.get('inline')
+    if not addattachment or opts.get('body'):
+        body += '\n'.join(patchlines)
+
+    if addattachment:
         msg = email.MIMEMultipart.MIMEMultipart()
         if body:
             msg.attach(mail.mimeencode(ui, body, _charsets, opts.get('test')))
@@ -124,7 +128,6 @@ def makepatch(ui, repo, patchlines, opts
         p['Content-Disposition'] = disposition + '; filename=' + patchname
         msg.attach(p)
     else:
-        body += '\n'.join(patchlines)
         msg = mail.mimetextpatch(body, display=opts.get('test'))
 
     flag = ' '.join(opts.get('flag'))
@@ -142,6 +145,7 @@ def makepatch(ui, repo, patchlines, opts
     return msg, subj, ds
 
 emailopts = [
+    ('', 'body', None, _('send patches as inline message text (default)')),
     ('a', 'attach', None, _('send patches as attachments')),
     ('i', 'inline', None, _('send patches as inline attachments')),
     ('', 'bcc', [], _('email addresses of blind carbon copy recipients')),
@@ -199,7 +203,9 @@ def patchbomb(ui, repo, *revs, **opts):
     By default the patch is included as text in the email body for
     easy reviewing. Using the -a/--attach option will instead create
     an attachment for the patch. With -i/--inline an inline attachment
-    will be created.
+    will be created. You can include a patch both as text in the email
+    body and as a regular or an inline attachment by combining the
+    -a/--attach or -i/--inline with the --body option.
 
     With -o/--outgoing, emails will be generated for patches not found
     in the destination repository (or only those which are ancestors
diff --git a/tests/test-patchbomb.t b/tests/test-patchbomb.t
--- a/tests/test-patchbomb.t
+++ b/tests/test-patchbomb.t
@@ -979,6 +979,62 @@ test attach for single patch (quoted-pri
   
   --===*-- (glob)
 
+test attach and body for single patch:
+  $ hg email --date '1970-1-1 0:1' -n -f quux -t foo -c bar -s test -a --body -r 2
+  This patch series consists of 1 patches.
+  
+  
+  Displaying [PATCH] test ...
+  Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="===*" (glob)
+  MIME-Version: 1.0
+  Subject: [PATCH] test
+  X-Mercurial-Node: ff2c9fa2018b15fa74b33363bda9527323e2a99f
+  Message-Id: <ff2c9fa2018b15fa74b3.60@*> (glob)
+  User-Agent: Mercurial-patchbomb/* (glob)
+  Date: Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:01:00 +0000
+  From: quux
+  To: foo
+  Cc: bar
+  
+  --===* (glob)
+  Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
+  MIME-Version: 1.0
+  Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+  
+  # HG changeset patch
+  # User test
+  # Date 3 0
+  # Node ID ff2c9fa2018b15fa74b33363bda9527323e2a99f
+  # Parent  97d72e5f12c7e84f85064aa72e5a297142c36ed9
+  c
+  
+  diff -r 97d72e5f12c7 -r ff2c9fa2018b c
+  --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+  +++ b/c	Thu Jan 01 00:00:03 1970 +0000
+  @@ -0,0 +1,1 @@
+  +c
+  
+  --===* (glob)
+  Content-Type: text/x-patch; charset="us-ascii"
+  MIME-Version: 1.0
+  Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
+  Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=t2.patch
+  
+  # HG changeset patch
+  # User test
+  # Date 3 0
+  # Node ID ff2c9fa2018b15fa74b33363bda9527323e2a99f
+  # Parent  97d72e5f12c7e84f85064aa72e5a297142c36ed9
+  c
+  
+  diff -r 97d72e5f12c7 -r ff2c9fa2018b c
+  --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+  +++ b/c	Thu Jan 01 00:00:03 1970 +0000
+  @@ -0,0 +1,1 @@
+  +c
+  
+  --===*-- (glob)
+
 test attach for multiple patches:
   $ hg email --date '1970-1-1 0:1' -n -f quux -t foo -c bar -s test -a \
   >  -r 0:1 -r 4