diff --git a/readchar/readchar_linux.py b/readchar/readchar_linux.py
index 9a56911..8ef79f2 100644
--- a/readchar/readchar_linux.py
+++ b/readchar/readchar_linux.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-# Initially taken from:
-# http://code.activestate.com/recipes/134892/
-# Thanks to Danny Yoo
+# Copyright (c) 2014, 2015 Miguel Ángel García (@magmax9).
+# Based on previous work on gist getch()-like unbuffered character
+# reading from stdin on both Windows and Unix (Python recipe),
+# started by Danny Yoo. Licensed under the MIT license.
+
 import sys
 import os
 import select
@@ -13,22 +15,40 @@
 def readchar(wait_for_char=True):
     old_settings = termios.tcgetattr(sys.stdin)
     tty.setcbreak(sys.stdin.fileno())
-    char_buffer = ''
+    charbuffer = ''
+
+    while True:
+        if charbuffer in key.ESCAPE_SEQUENCES:
+            char1 = getkey(False, old_settings)
+        else:
+            char1 = getkey(wait_for_char, old_settings)
+        if (charbuffer + char1) not in key.ESCAPE_SEQUENCES:
+            # escape sequence complete or not an escape character..
+            return convertchar(charbuffer + char1)
+
+        # handle cases where the escape is finished, but looks incomplete -
+        # such as a plain old 'ESC' (\x1b) that is not followed by other
+        # codes:
+        if (charbuffer + char1) == charbuffer:
+            return convertchar(charbuffer)
+
+        charbuffer += char1
+
+
+def getkey(wait_for_char, old_settings):
+    charbuffer = ''
     try:
         if wait_for_char or select.select([sys.stdin, ], [], [], 0.0)[0]:
             char = os.read(sys.stdin.fileno(), 1)
-            char_buffer = char if type(char) is str else char.decode()
+            charbuffer = char if type(char) is str else char.decode()
     except Exception:
-        char_buffer = ''
+        pass
     finally:
         termios.tcsetattr(sys.stdin, termios.TCSADRAIN, old_settings)
+    return charbuffer
 
-    while True:
-        if char_buffer not in key.ESCAPE_SEQUENCES:
-            return char_buffer
-        else:
-            c = readchar(False)
-            if c is None:
-                return char_buffer
-            else:
-                char_buffer += c
+
+def convertchar(charbuffer):
+    if charbuffer in key.linux_keys:
+        return key.linux_keys[charbuffer]
+    return charbuffer