diff --git a/c++/include/orc/ColumnPrinter.hh b/c++/include/orc/ColumnPrinter.hh
index 17c1901b32..95e965fafc 100644
--- a/c++/include/orc/ColumnPrinter.hh
+++ b/c++/include/orc/ColumnPrinter.hh
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ namespace orc {
   };
 
   ORC_UNIQUE_PTR<ColumnPrinter> createColumnPrinter(std::string&,
-						    const Type& type);
+                      const Type& type,
+                      const std::vector<bool>* selectedColumns = ORC_NULLPTR);
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/c++/src/ColumnPrinter.cc b/c++/src/ColumnPrinter.cc
index aa90be61d1..5d1703235f 100644
--- a/c++/src/ColumnPrinter.cc
+++ b/c++/src/ColumnPrinter.cc
@@ -173,8 +173,10 @@ namespace orc {
   class StructColumnPrinter: public ColumnPrinter {
   private:
     std::vector<ColumnPrinter*> fieldPrinter;
+    std::vector<std::string> fieldNames;
   public:
-    StructColumnPrinter(std::string&, const Type& type);
+    StructColumnPrinter(std::string&, const Type& type,
+                        const std::vector<bool>* selectedColumns);
     virtual ~StructColumnPrinter();
     void printRow(uint64_t rowId) override;
     void reset(const ColumnVectorBatch& batch) override;
@@ -209,9 +211,11 @@ namespace orc {
     }
   }
 
-  std::unique_ptr<ColumnPrinter> createColumnPrinter(std::string& buffer,
-                                                     const Type& type) {
-    ColumnPrinter *result;
+  std::unique_ptr<ColumnPrinter> createColumnPrinter(
+                                    std::string& buffer,
+                                    const Type& type,
+                                    const std::vector<bool>* selectedColumns) {
+    ColumnPrinter *result = nullptr;
     switch(static_cast<int64_t>(type.getKind())) {
     case BOOLEAN:
       result = new BooleanColumnPrinter(buffer, type);
@@ -252,7 +256,7 @@ namespace orc {
       break;
 
     case STRUCT:
-      result = new StructColumnPrinter(buffer, type);
+      result = new StructColumnPrinter(buffer, type, selectedColumns);
       break;
 
     case DECIMAL:
@@ -558,12 +562,17 @@ namespace orc {
     }
   }
 
-  StructColumnPrinter::StructColumnPrinter(std::string& buffer,
-                                           const Type& type
-                                           ): ColumnPrinter(buffer, type) {
+  StructColumnPrinter::StructColumnPrinter(
+                                       std::string& buffer,
+                                       const Type& type,
+                                       const std::vector<bool>* selectedColumns
+                                         ): ColumnPrinter(buffer, type) {
     for(unsigned int i=0; i < type.getSubtypeCount(); ++i) {
-      fieldPrinter.push_back(createColumnPrinter(buffer, type.getSubtype(i))
-                             .release());
+      if (selectedColumns==nullptr || selectedColumns->at(type.getSubtype(i).getColumnId())) {
+        fieldNames.push_back(type.getFieldName(i));
+        fieldPrinter.push_back(createColumnPrinter(buffer,
+                                                   type.getSubtype(i)).release());
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -592,7 +601,7 @@ namespace orc {
           writeString(buffer, ", ");
         }
         writeChar(buffer, '"');
-        writeString(buffer, type.getFieldName(i).c_str());
+        writeString(buffer, fieldNames[i].c_str());
         writeString(buffer, "\": ");
         fieldPrinter[i]->printRow(rowId);
       }
diff --git a/tools/src/FileContents.cc b/tools/src/FileContents.cc
index 694fea3ba9..c2e2c358f0 100644
--- a/tools/src/FileContents.cc
+++ b/tools/src/FileContents.cc
@@ -31,8 +31,9 @@ void printContents(const char* filename, const orc::ReaderOptions opts) {
 
   std::unique_ptr<orc::ColumnVectorBatch> batch = reader->createRowBatch(1000);
   std::string line;
+  const std::vector<bool> selectedColumns = reader->getSelectedColumns();
   std::unique_ptr<orc::ColumnPrinter> printer =
-    createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType());
+    createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType(), &selectedColumns);
 
   while (reader->next(*batch)) {
     printer->reset(*batch);
@@ -48,12 +49,36 @@ void printContents(const char* filename, const orc::ReaderOptions opts) {
 
 int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
   if (argc < 2) {
-    std::cout << "Usage: file-contents <filename>\n";
+    std::cout << "Usage: file-contents <filename> [--columns=1,2,...]\n"
+              << "Print contents of <filename>.\n"
+              << "If columns are specified, only these top-level (logical) columns are printed.\n" ;
     return 1;
   }
   try {
+    const std::string COLUMNS_PREFIX = "--columns=";
+    std::list<int64_t> cols;
+    char* filename = ORC_NULLPTR;
+
+    // Read command-line options
+    char *param, *value;
+    for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
+      if ( (param = std::strstr(argv[i], COLUMNS_PREFIX.c_str())) ) {
+        value = std::strtok(param+COLUMNS_PREFIX.length(), "," );
+        while (value) {
+          cols.push_back(std::atoi(value));
+          value = std::strtok(nullptr, "," );
+        }
+      } else {
+        filename = argv[i];
+      }
+    }
     orc::ReaderOptions opts;
-    printContents(argv[1], opts);
+    if (cols.size() > 0) {
+      opts.include(cols);
+    }
+    if (filename != ORC_NULLPTR) {
+      printContents(filename, opts);
+    }
   } catch (std::exception& ex) {
     std::cerr << "Caught exception: " << ex.what() << "\n";
     return 1;
diff --git a/tools/test/TestReader.cc b/tools/test/TestReader.cc
index 92fa10ae62..773e6dfcd7 100644
--- a/tools/test/TestReader.cc
+++ b/tools/test/TestReader.cc
@@ -923,6 +923,26 @@ TEST(Reader, selectColumns) {
     for (unsigned int i=0; i < c.size(); i++) {
       EXPECT_TRUE(c[i]);
     }
+    std::unique_ptr<orc::ColumnVectorBatch> batch = reader->createRowBatch(1);
+    std::string line;
+    std::unique_ptr<orc::ColumnPrinter> printer =
+        createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType(), &c);
+    reader->next(*batch);
+    printer->reset(*batch);
+    printer->printRow(0);
+    std::ostringstream expected;
+    expected << "{\"boolean1\": true, \"byte1\": -76, "
+        << "\"short1\": 21684, \"int1\": -941468492, "
+        << "\"long1\": -6863419716327549772, \"float1\": 0.7762409, "
+        << "\"double1\": 0.77624090391187, \"bytes1\": [123, 108, 207, 27, 93, "
+        << "157, 139, 233, 181, 90, 14, 60, 34, 120, 26, 119, 231, 50, 155, 121], "
+        << "\"string1\": \"887336a7\", \"middle\": {\"list\": [{\"int1\": "
+        << "-941468492, \"string1\": \"887336a7\"}, {\"int1\": -1598014431, "
+        << "\"string1\": \"ba419d35-x\"}]}, \"list\": [], \"map\": [{\"key\": "
+        << "\"ba419d35-x\", \"value\": {\"int1\": -1598014431, \"string1\": "
+        << "\"ba419d35-x\"}}, {\"key\": \"887336a7\", \"value\": {\"int1\": "
+        << "-941468492, \"string1\": \"887336a7\"}}]}";
+    EXPECT_EQ(expected.str(), line);
 
     // Int column #2
     cols.clear();
@@ -936,6 +956,15 @@ TEST(Reader, selectColumns) {
       else
         EXPECT_TRUE(!c[i]);
     }
+    batch = reader->createRowBatch(1);
+    line.clear();
+    printer = createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType(), &c);
+    reader->next(*batch);
+    printer->reset(*batch);
+    printer->printRow(0);
+    std::string expectedInt("{\"byte1\": -76}");
+    EXPECT_EQ(expectedInt, line);
+
 
     // Struct column #10
     cols.clear();
@@ -949,6 +978,17 @@ TEST(Reader, selectColumns) {
       else
         EXPECT_TRUE(!c[i]);
     }
+    batch = reader->createRowBatch(1);
+    line.clear();
+    printer = createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType(), &c);
+    reader->next(*batch);
+    printer->reset(*batch);
+    printer->printRow(0);
+    std::ostringstream expectedStruct;
+    expectedStruct << "{\"middle\": {\"list\": "
+        << "[{\"int1\": -941468492, \"string1\": \"887336a7\"}, "
+        << "{\"int1\": -1598014431, \"string1\": \"ba419d35-x\"}]}}";
+    EXPECT_EQ(expectedStruct.str(), line);
 
     // Array column #11
     cols.clear();
@@ -962,6 +1002,14 @@ TEST(Reader, selectColumns) {
       else
         EXPECT_TRUE(!c[i]);
     }
+    batch = reader->createRowBatch(1);
+    line.clear();
+    printer = createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType(), &c);
+    reader->next(*batch);
+    printer->reset(*batch);
+    printer->printRow(0);
+    std::string expectedArray("{\"list\": []}");
+    EXPECT_EQ(expectedArray, line);
 
     // Map column #12
     cols.clear();
@@ -975,6 +1023,18 @@ TEST(Reader, selectColumns) {
       else
         EXPECT_TRUE(!c[i]);
     }
+    batch = reader->createRowBatch(1);
+    line.clear();
+    printer = createColumnPrinter(line, reader->getType(), &c);
+    reader->next(*batch);
+    printer->reset(*batch);
+    printer->printRow(0);
+    std::ostringstream expectedMap;
+    expectedMap << "{\"map\": [{\"key\": \"ba419d35-x\", \"value\": {\"int1\":"
+        << " -1598014431, \"string1\": \"ba419d35-x\"}}, {\"key\": "
+        << "\"887336a7\", \"value\": {\"int1\": -941468492, \"string1\": "
+        << "\"887336a7\"}}]}";
+    EXPECT_EQ(expectedMap.str(), line);
 }
 
   std::map<std::string, std::string> makeMetadata() {