diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 475d34e..fe03fe8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ node-imap exposes one object: **ImapConnection**.
     * **messages** - <_object_> Contains various message counts for this mailbox:
         * **total** - <_integer_> - Total number of messages in this mailbox.
         * **new** - <_integer_> - Number of messages in this mailbox having the Recent flag (this IMAP session is the first to see these messages).
-        * **unseen** - <_integer_> - Number of messages in this mailbox not having the Seen flag (marked as not having been read).
+        * **unseen** - <_integer_> - **(Only available with status() calls)** Number of messages in this mailbox not having the Seen flag (marked as not having been read).
 * _ImapMessage_ is an object representing an email message. It consists of:
     * Properties:
         * **seqno** - <_integer_> - This message's sequence number. This number changes when messages with smaller sequence numbers are deleted for example (see the ImapConnection's 'deleted' event). This value is **always** available immediately.
diff --git a/lib/imap.js b/lib/imap.js
index b8bd860..cc2c83e 100644
--- a/lib/imap.js
+++ b/lib/imap.js
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ function ImapConnection (options) {
       keywords: [],
       permFlags: [],
       name: null,
-      messages: { total: 0, new: 0, unseen: 0 }
+      messages: { total: 0, new: 0 }
     },
     ext: {
       // Capability-specific state info
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ ImapConnection.prototype.connect = function(loginCb) {
               messages: {
                 total: 0,
                 new: 0,
-                unseen: 0
+                unseen: undefined
               }
             };
             if (m.attributes) {
@@ -469,9 +469,7 @@ ImapConnection.prototype.connect = function(loginCb) {
             } else if (/^ALERT$/i.test(code))
               self.emit('alert', m[3]);
             else if (state.status === STATES.BOXSELECTING) {
-              if (m = /^UNSEEN (\d+)/i.exec(code))
-                state.box.messages.unseen = parseInt(m[1], 10);
-              else if (m = /^UIDVALIDITY (\d+)/i.exec(code))
+              if (m = /^UIDVALIDITY (\d+)/i.exec(code))
                 state.box.uidvalidity = parseInt(m[1], 10);
               else if (m = /^UIDNEXT (\d+)/i.exec(code))
                 state.box.uidnext = parseInt(m[1], 10);
@@ -869,48 +867,48 @@ ImapConnection.prototype._fetch = function(which, uids, options) {
     options = {};
   utils.extend(true, opts, options);
 
-    if (Array.isArray(opts.request.body)) {
-      var rangeInfo;
-      if (opts.request.body.length !== 2)
-        throw new Error("Expected Array of length 2 for body byte range");
-      else if (typeof opts.request.body[1] !== 'string'
-               || !(rangeInfo = /^([\d]+)\-([\d]+)$/.exec(opts.request.body[1]))
-               || parseInt(rangeInfo[1], 10) >= parseInt(rangeInfo[2], 10))
-        throw new Error("Invalid body byte range format");
-      bodyRange = '<' + parseInt(rangeInfo[1], 10) + '.'
-                  + parseInt(rangeInfo[2], 10) + '>';
-      opts.request.body = opts.request.body[0];
-    }
-    if (opts.request.headers !== false
-        && typeof opts.request.body === 'boolean') {
-      if (Array.isArray(opts.request.headers))
-        onlyHeaders = opts.request.headers.join(' ').toUpperCase();
-      if (opts.request.body === true) {
-        // fetches the whole entire message (including some/all headers)
-        toFetch = '';
-      } else if (onlyHeaders) {
-        // fetch specific headers only
-        toFetch = 'HEADER.FIELDS (' + onlyHeaders + ')';
-      } else {
-        // fetches (all) headers only
-        toFetch = 'HEADER';
-      }
-      useParser = true;
-    } else if (opts.request.body === true) {
-      // fetches the whole entire message text (minus the headers), including
-      // all message parts
-      toFetch = 'TEXT';
-    } else if (typeof opts.request.body === 'string') {
-      if (opts.request.body.toUpperCase() === 'FULL') {
-        // fetches the whole entire message (including the headers)
-        // NOTE: does NOT parse the headers!
-        toFetch = '';
-      } else if (/^([\d]+[\.]{0,1})*[\d]+$/.test(opts.request.body)) {
-        // specific message part identifier, e.g. '1', '2', '1.1', '1.2', etc
-        toFetch = opts.request.body;
-      } else
-        throw new Error("Invalid body partID format");
+  if (Array.isArray(opts.request.body)) {
+    var rangeInfo;
+    if (opts.request.body.length !== 2)
+      throw new Error("Expected Array of length 2 for body byte range");
+    else if (typeof opts.request.body[1] !== 'string'
+             || !(rangeInfo = /^([\d]+)\-([\d]+)$/.exec(opts.request.body[1]))
+             || parseInt(rangeInfo[1], 10) >= parseInt(rangeInfo[2], 10))
+      throw new Error("Invalid body byte range format");
+    bodyRange = '<' + parseInt(rangeInfo[1], 10) + '.'
+                + parseInt(rangeInfo[2], 10) + '>';
+    opts.request.body = opts.request.body[0];
+  }
+  if (opts.request.headers !== false
+      && typeof opts.request.body === 'boolean') {
+    if (Array.isArray(opts.request.headers))
+      onlyHeaders = opts.request.headers.join(' ').toUpperCase();
+    if (opts.request.body === true) {
+      // fetches the whole entire message (including some/all headers)
+      toFetch = '';
+    } else if (onlyHeaders) {
+      // fetch specific headers only
+      toFetch = 'HEADER.FIELDS (' + onlyHeaders + ')';
+    } else {
+      // fetches (all) headers only
+      toFetch = 'HEADER';
     }
+    useParser = true;
+  } else if (opts.request.body === true) {
+    // fetches the whole entire message text (minus the headers), including
+    // all message parts
+    toFetch = 'TEXT';
+  } else if (typeof opts.request.body === 'string') {
+    if (opts.request.body.toUpperCase() === 'FULL') {
+      // fetches the whole entire message (including the headers)
+      // NOTE: does NOT parse the headers!
+      toFetch = '';
+    } else if (/^([\d]+[\.]{0,1})*[\d]+$/.test(opts.request.body)) {
+      // specific message part identifier, e.g. '1', '2', '1.1', '1.2', etc
+      toFetch = opts.request.body;
+    } else
+      throw new Error("Invalid body partID format");
+  }
 
   // always fetch GMail-specific bits of information when on GMail
   if (this._serverSupports('X-GM-EXT-1'))
@@ -1254,7 +1252,6 @@ ImapConnection.prototype._resetBox = function() {
   this._state.box.name = null;
   this._state.box.messages.total = 0;
   this._state.box.messages.new = 0;
-  this._state.box.messages.unseen = 0;
 };
 
 ImapConnection.prototype._noop = function() {