diff --git a/controller/Notebooks.py b/controller/Notebooks.py
index da98f17..5d429d3 100644
--- a/controller/Notebooks.py
+++ b/controller/Notebooks.py
@@ -474,7 +474,8 @@ class Notebooks( object ):
   def delete_note( self, notebook_id, note_id, user_id ):
     """
     Delete the given note from its notebook and move it to the notebook's trash. The note is added
-    as a startup note within the trash.
+    as a startup note within the trash. If the given notebook is the trash and the given note is
+    already there, then it is deleted from the trash forever.
 
     @type notebook_id: unicode
     @param notebook_id: id of notebook the note is in
@@ -571,6 +572,51 @@ class Notebooks( object ):
 
     yield dict()
 
+  @expose( view = Json )
+  @wait_for_update
+  @grab_user_id
+  @async
+  @update_client
+  @validate(
+    notebook_id = Valid_id(),
+    user_id = Valid_id( none_okay = True ),
+  )
+  def delete_all_notes( self, notebook_id, user_id ):
+    """
+    Delete all notes from the given notebook and move them to the notebook's trash (if any). The
+    notes are added as startup notes within the trash. If the given notebook is the trash, then
+    all notes in the trash are deleted forever.
+
+    @type notebook_id: unicode
+    @param notebook_id: id of notebook the note is in
+    @type user_id: unicode or NoneType
+    @param user_id: id of current logged-in user (if any), determined by @grab_user_id
+    @rtype: json dict
+    @return: {}
+    @raise Access_error: the current user doesn't have access to the given notebook
+    @raise Validation_error: one of the arguments is invalid
+    """
+    self.check_access( notebook_id, user_id, self.__scheduler.thread )
+    if not ( yield Scheduler.SLEEP ):
+      raise Access_error()
+
+    self.__database.load( notebook_id, self.__scheduler.thread )
+    notebook = ( yield Scheduler.SLEEP )
+
+    if not notebook:
+      raise Access_error()
+
+    for note in notebook.notes:
+      notebook.remove_note( note )
+
+      if notebook.trash:
+        note.deleted_from = notebook.object_id
+        notebook.trash.add_note( note )
+        notebook.trash.add_startup_note( note )
+
+    self.__database.save( notebook )
+
+    yield dict()
   @expose( view = Note_page )
   @validate( id = Valid_string( min = 1, max = 100 ) )
   def blank_note( self, id ):
diff --git a/controller/test/Test_notebooks.py b/controller/test/Test_notebooks.py
index 712608e..df17fd8 100644
--- a/controller/test/Test_notebooks.py
+++ b/controller/test/Test_notebooks.py
@@ -917,6 +917,29 @@ class Test_notebooks( Test_controller ):
     assert note.object_id == self.note.object_id
     assert note.deleted_from == self.notebook.object_id
 
+  def test_delete_note_from_trash( self ):
+    self.login()
+
+    # first, delete the note from the main notebook, thereby moving it to the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    # then, delete the note from the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    # test that the deleted note is actually deleted from the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    assert result.get( "note" ) == None
+
   def test_delete_note_without_login( self ):
     result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_note/", dict(
       notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
@@ -1119,6 +1142,108 @@ class Test_notebooks( Test_controller ):
     assert note.object_id == self.note.object_id
     assert note.deleted_from == None
 
+  def test_delete_all_notes( self ):
+    self.login()
+
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_all_notes/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    # test that all notes are actually deleted
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    assert result.get( "note" ) == None
+
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note2.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    assert result.get( "note" ) == None
+
+    # test that the notes get moved to the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    note = result.get( "note" )
+    assert note
+    assert note.object_id == self.note.object_id
+    assert note.deleted_from == self.notebook.object_id
+
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note2.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    note2 = result.get( "note" )
+    assert note2
+    assert note2.object_id == self.note2.object_id
+    assert note2.deleted_from == self.notebook.object_id
+
+  def test_delete_all_notes_from_trash( self ):
+    self.login()
+
+    # first, delete all notes from the main notebook, thereby moving them to the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_all_notes/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    # then, delete all notes from the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_all_notes/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    # test that all notes are actually deleted from the trash
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    assert result.get( "note" ) == None
+
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.trash.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note2.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    assert result.get( "note" ) == None
+
+  def test_delete_all_notes_without_login( self ):
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_all_notes/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    assert result.get( "error" )
+
+  def test_delete_all_notes_with_unknown_notebook( self ):
+    self.login()
+
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/delete_all_notes/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.unknown_notebook_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    # test that the notes haven't been deleted
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    note = result.get( "note" )
+    assert note.object_id == self.note.object_id
+
+    result = self.http_post( "/notebooks/load_note/", dict(
+      notebook_id = self.notebook.object_id,
+      note_id = self.note2.object_id,
+    ), session_id = self.session_id )
+
+    note2 = result.get( "note" )
+    assert note2.object_id == self.note2.object_id
+
   def test_blank_note( self ):
     result = self.http_get( "/notebooks/blank_note/5" )
     assert result[ u"id" ] == u"5"
diff --git a/static/js/Wiki.js b/static/js/Wiki.js
index 6d417ad..ba28b98 100644
--- a/static/js/Wiki.js
+++ b/static/js/Wiki.js
@@ -102,7 +102,13 @@ Wiki.prototype.populate = function ( result ) {
 
   var header_area = getElement( "notebook_header_area" );
   replaceChildNodes( header_area, createDOM( "b", {}, this.notebook.name ) );
+
   if ( this.parent_id ) {
+    appendChildNodes( header_area, createDOM( "span", {}, ": " ) );
+    var empty_trash_link = createDOM( "a", { "href": location.href }, "empty trash" );
+    appendChildNodes( header_area, empty_trash_link );
+    connect( empty_trash_link, "onclick", function ( event ) { try{ self.delete_all_editors( event ); } catch(e){ alert(e); } } );
+
     appendChildNodes( header_area, createDOM( "span", {}, " | " ) );
     appendChildNodes( header_area, createDOM( "a", { "href": "/notebooks/" + this.parent_id }, "return to notebook" ) );
   }
@@ -198,7 +204,7 @@ Wiki.prototype.populate = function ( result ) {
     this.create_editor( result.note.object_id, result.note.contents, result.note.deleted_from, result.note.revisions_list, undefined, read_write, false, true );
 
   if ( !this.notebook.trash && result.startup_notes.length == 0 && !result.note )
-    this.display_message( "There are no notes here." )
+    this.display_message( "The trash is empty." )
 }
 
 Wiki.prototype.create_blank_editor = function ( event ) {
@@ -611,6 +617,7 @@ Wiki.prototype.delete_editor = function ( event, editor ) {
     if ( this.startup_notes[ editor.id ] )
       delete this.startup_notes[ editor.id ];
 
+    // FIXME: does saving and deleting cause a race in which the "deleted" note is then saved right back where it was in the notebook?
     this.save_editor( editor, true );
 
     if ( this.read_write && editor.read_write ) {
@@ -880,6 +887,31 @@ Wiki.prototype.clear_pulldowns = function () {
   }
 }
 
+Wiki.prototype.delete_all_editors = function ( event ) {
+  this.clear_messages();
+  this.clear_pulldowns();
+
+  this.startup_notes = new Array();
+
+  if ( this.read_write ) {
+    this.invoker.invoke( "/notebooks/delete_all_notes", "POST", { 
+      "notebook_id": this.notebook_id
+    } );
+  }
+
+  this.focused_editor = null;
+
+  var iframes = getElementsByTagAndClassName( "iframe", "note_frame" );
+  for ( var i in iframes ) {
+    var editor = iframes[ i ].editor;
+    editor.shutdown();
+  }
+
+  this.display_message( "The trash is empty." );
+
+  event.stop();
+}
+
 Wiki.prototype.brief_revision = function ( revision ) {
   return revision.split( /\.\d/ )[ 0 ]; // strip off seconds from the timestamp
 }