diff --git a/sorttable/sorttable.js b/sorttable/sorttable.js
index a6b65b0..d5d285b 100644
--- a/sorttable/sorttable.js
+++ b/sorttable/sorttable.js
@@ -167,33 +167,35 @@ sorttable = {
   guessType: function(table, column) {
     // guess the type of a column based on its first non-blank row
     sortfn = sorttable.sort_alpha;
-    for (var i=0; i<table.tBodies[0].rows.length; i++) {
-      text = sorttable.getInnerText(table.tBodies[0].rows[i].cells[column]);
-      if (text !== '') {
-        if (text.match(/^-?[£$¤]?[\d,.]+%?$/)) {
-          return sorttable.sort_numeric;
-        }
-        // check for a date: dd/mm/yyyy or dd/mm/yy
-        // can have / or . or - as separator
-        // can be mm/dd as well
-        possdate = text.match(sorttable.DATE_RE);
-        if (possdate) {
-          // looks like a date
-          first = parseInt(possdate[1], 10);
-          second = parseInt(possdate[2], 10);
-          if (first > 12) {
-            // definitely dd/mm
-            return sorttable.sort_ddmm;
-          } else if (second > 12) {
-            return sorttable.sort_mmdd;
-          } else {
-            // looks like a date, but we can't tell which, so assume
-            // that it's dd/mm (English imperialism!) and keep looking
-            sortfn = sorttable.sort_ddmm;
-          }
-        }
-      }
-    }
+		if (table.tBodies[0]){
+			for (var i=0; i<table.tBodies[0].rows.length; i++) {
+				text = sorttable.getInnerText(table.tBodies[0].rows[i].cells[column]);
+				if (text !== '') {
+					if (text.match(/^-?[£$¤]?[\d,.]+%?$/)) {
+						return sorttable.sort_numeric;
+					}
+					// check for a date: dd/mm/yyyy or dd/mm/yy
+					// can have / or . or - as separator
+					// can be mm/dd as well
+					possdate = text.match(sorttable.DATE_RE);
+					if (possdate) {
+						// looks like a date
+						first = parseInt(possdate[1], 10);
+						second = parseInt(possdate[2], 10);
+						if (first > 12) {
+							// definitely dd/mm
+							return sorttable.sort_ddmm;
+						} else if (second > 12) {
+							return sorttable.sort_mmdd;
+						} else {
+							// looks like a date, but we can't tell which, so assume
+							// that it's dd/mm (English imperialism!) and keep looking
+							sortfn = sorttable.sort_ddmm;
+						}
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
     return sortfn;
   },