diff --git a/tar.c b/tar.c
index 71719b0..49ecfae 100644
--- a/tar.c
+++ b/tar.c
@@ -351,8 +351,10 @@ skipblk(ssize_t l)
 	char b[BLKSIZ];
 
 	for (; l > 0; l -= BLKSIZ)
-		if (!eread(tarfd, b, BLKSIZ))
+		if (!eread(tarfd, b, BLKSIZ)) {
+			fprintf(stderr, "skipblk: failed to read %d bytes\n", BLKSIZ);
 			break;
+		}
 }
 
 static int
@@ -402,16 +404,42 @@ sanitize(struct header *h)
 }
 
 static void
+dumpheader(struct header *h)
+{
+	puts("");
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "name",     h->name);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "mode",     h->mode);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "uid",      h->uid);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "gid",      h->gid);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "size",     h->size);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "mtime",    h->mtime);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "chksum",   h->chksum);
+	printf("%s: %c\n", "type",     h->type);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "linkname", h->linkname);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "magic",    h->magic);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "version",  h->version);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "uname",    h->uname);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "gname",    h->gname);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "major",    h->major);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "minor",    h->minor);
+	printf("%s: %s\n", "prefix",   h->prefix);
+}
+
+static void
 chktar(struct header *h)
 {
 	char tmp[8], *err;
 	char *p = (char *)h;
 	long s1, s2, i;
 
-	if (h->prefix[0] == '\0' && h->name[0] == '\0')
+	if (h->prefix[0] == '\0' && h->name[0] == '\0') {
+		fprintf(stderr, "chktar: empty prefix and name\n");
 		goto bad;
-	if (h->magic[0] && strncmp("ustar", h->magic, 5))
+	}
+	if (h->magic[0] && strncmp("ustar", h->magic, 5)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "chktar: invalid magic \"%s\"\n", h->magic);
 		goto bad;
+	}
 	memcpy(tmp, h->chksum, sizeof(tmp));
 	for (i = 0; i < sizeof(tmp); i++)
 		if (tmp[i] == ' ')
@@ -422,8 +450,10 @@ chktar(struct header *h)
 	memset(h->chksum, ' ', sizeof(h->chksum));
 	for (i = 0, s2 = 0; i < sizeof(*h); i++)
 		s2 += (unsigned char)p[i];
-	if (s1 != s2)
+	if (s1 != s2) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "chktar: bad checksum\n");
 		goto bad;
+	}
 	memcpy(h->chksum, tmp, sizeof(h->chksum));
 	return;
 bad:
@@ -442,6 +472,8 @@ xt(int argc, char *argv[], int mode)
 	int (*fn)(char *, ssize_t, char[BLKSIZ]) = (mode == 'x') ? unarchive : print;
 
 	while (eread(tarfd, b, BLKSIZ) > 0 && h->name[0]) {
+		if (vflag)
+			dumpheader(h);
 		chktar(h);
 		sanitize(h), n = 0;