diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 37ec797..b5521d4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,40 @@
-# serialize
+serialize - A brainless Lua table serializer
+============================================
 
-The brainless Lua table serialization library.
\ No newline at end of file
+**serialize** provides two functions:
+
+* `pack()` packs Lua tables to string.
+* `unpack()` unpacks a string back to a Lua table.
+
+The implementation strives to be useful under the majority of reasonable use cases,
+to be compact, understandable and sufficiently fast.
+There is no pretense of complete generality, nor of absolute efficiency.
+In case **serialize** does not meet exactly your requirements, the code
+should be immediate enough to tweak to your needs.
+
+Documentation
+=============
+
+Code is documented with [LDoc](https://github.com/lunarmodules/LDoc).
+
+Documentation may be generated running the command:
+
+```sh
+ldoc init.lua
+```
+
+Test suite
+==========
+
+The test suite uses [busted](https://olivinelabs.com/busted/).
+
+Tests may be run with the command:
+
+```sh
+lua spec/serialize_spec.lua
+```
+
+License
+=======
+
+See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
diff --git a/init.lua b/init.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f47cebc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/init.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+--- Brainless serialization library.
+--
+-- Takes Lua tables and turns them into their string
+-- representation. Also takes a Lua table string representation
+-- and turns it back into its corresponding table.
+-- That is all.
+--
+-- @copyright 2022 The DoubleFourteen Code Forge
+-- @author Lorenzo Cogotti
+
+local math = require 'math'
+
+local serialize = {}
+
+
+local dopack  -- forward declare for mutual recursion
+
+local function isfinite(x)
+    return x ~= math.huge and x ~= -math.huge and x == x
+end
+
+local function keys(k, i)
+    local t = type(k)
+
+    if t == 'boolean' then
+        return k and "[true]" or "[false]"
+    elseif t == 'string' then
+        local f = ("%q"):format(k)
+        if k:find(" ") or f ~= '"'..k..'"' then
+            return "["..f.."]"
+        else
+            return k
+        end
+    elseif t == 'number' then
+        if not isfinite(k) then
+            error("Can't serialize.pack() table with non-finite key `"..k.."'.")
+        end
+
+        return "["..k.."]"
+    elseif t == 'table' then
+        return "["..dopack(k, i+1).."]"
+    else
+        error("Can't serialize.pack() table with key `"..tostring(k).."'.")
+    end
+end
+
+local function vals(v, i)
+    local t = type(v)
+
+    if t == 'boolean' then
+        return v and 'true' or 'false'
+    elseif t == 'string' then
+        return ("%q"):format(v)
+    elseif t == 'number' then
+        if not isfinite(v) then
+            error("Can't serialize.pack() table with non-finite value `"..v.."'.")
+        end
+
+        return tostring(v)
+    elseif t == 'table' then
+        return dopack(v, i+1)
+    else
+        error("Can't serialize.pack() table with value `"..tostring(v).."'.")
+    end
+end
+
+-- local
+function dopack(o, i, mode)
+    local fields = {}
+    local seen = {}
+    local is = ("    "):rep(i)
+    local lastis = ("    "):rep(i-1)
+
+    -- Attempt to encode as array.
+    for k,v in ipairs(o) do
+        if mode == 'skip-functions' and type(v) == 'function' then
+            goto skip
+        end
+
+        fields[#fields + 1] = ("%s%s"):format(is, vals(v, i))
+
+    ::skip:: seen[k] = true
+    end
+
+    -- Process leftover fields.
+    for k,v in pairs(o) do
+        if seen[k] or (mode == 'skip-functions' and type(v) == 'function') then
+            goto skip
+        end
+
+        local f = ("%s%s = %s"):format(is, keys(k, i), vals(v, i))
+
+        fields[#fields + 1] = f
+
+    ::skip::
+    end
+
+    return "{\n"..table.concat(fields, ",\n").."\n"..lastis.."}"
+end
+
+--- Construct string recreating a Lua table.
+--
+-- @param o (table) a Lua table.
+-- @param indent (number|nil) optional initial indent.
+-- @param mode (string|nil) one of two modes: 'strict' (default), where
+--             attempt to serialize a function is an error, or
+--             'skip-functions', where functions are ignored.
+--
+-- @return string recreating the table, use serialize.unpack() to do so.
+function serialize.pack(o, indent, mode)
+    if type(o) ~= 'table' then
+        error("Can't serialize.pack() a `"..type(o).."'.")
+    end
+
+    return dopack(o, indent or 1, mode)
+end
+
+--- Reconstruct Lua table from string.
+--
+-- @param s (string) Lua table in its string form.
+-- @param chunk (string|nil) optional string providing a chunk's name
+--              for better diagnostics, if left nil a default value
+--              of "<serialize.unpack>" is used.
+--
+-- @return the reconstructed table and an error string, on success
+--         the error value is nil, on failure the table is nil.
+function serialize.unpack(s, chunk)
+    if type(s) ~= 'string' then
+        error("Can only serialize.unpack() strings.")
+    end
+
+    chunk = chunk or "<serialize.unpack>"
+
+    local fun, res = load("return "..s, chunk, 't', {})
+    if not fun then
+        return nil, res
+    end
+
+    local ok, o = pcall(fun)
+    if not ok then
+        return nil, o  -- o is now pcall()'s error message
+    end
+    if type(o) ~= 'table' then
+        return nil, "[string \""..chunk.."\"] resulted in a `"..type(o).."'."
+    end
+
+    return o
+end
+
+return serialize
diff --git a/spec/serialize_spec.lua b/spec/serialize_spec.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c999807
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/serialize_spec.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+require 'busted.runner'()
+
+describe("serialize", function()
+    setup(function()
+        serialize = require 'init'
+        math = require 'math'
+    end)
+
+    it("converts tables to strings and back", function()
+        local tests = {
+            -- Empty table
+            ['{\n\n}'] = {},
+
+            -- Arrays
+            ['{\n    true,\n    true,\n    false\n}'] =
+                { true, true, false },
+            ['{\n    1,\n    2,\n    3\n}'] =
+                { 1, 2, 3 },
+            ['{\n    1.0,\n    0.5,\n    0.25,\n    0.125,\n    0.0625\n}'] =
+                { 1.0, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.0625 },
+
+            -- Basic types
+            ['{\n    key = "strings are double quoted"\n}'] =
+                { key = "strings are double quoted" },
+
+            ['{\n    key = "\'string\'"\n}'] =
+                { key = "\'string\'" },
+            ['{\n    key = "\\"string\\""\n}'] =
+                { key = "\"string\"" },
+
+            ['{\n    ikey = 10\n}'] = { ikey = 10 },
+            ['{\n    fkey = 0.9843\n}'] = { fkey = 0.9843 },
+            ['{\n    falsekey = false\n}'] = { falsekey = false },
+            ['{\n    truekey = true\n}'] = { truekey = true },
+
+            -- Mixed
+            ['{\n    3,\n    2,\n    1,\n    what = "half array"\n}'] =
+                { 3, 2, 1, what = "half array" },
+        }
+
+        for k,v in pairs(tests) do
+            local s = assert.has_no.errors(function()
+                return serialize.pack(v)
+            end)
+            assert.are.equal(s, k)
+
+            local o = assert(serialize.unpack(s))
+            assert.are.same(v, o)
+        end
+    end)
+
+    it("accepts tables with nil entries", function()
+        local tests = {
+            ['{ nil }'] = {},
+            ['{ key = nil }'] = {},
+            ['{ 1, 2, 3, 4, nil, 5 }'] = { 1, 2, 3, 4, nil, 5 },
+            ['{ 1, 2, 3, 4, nil }'] = { 1, 2, 3, 4 },
+            ['{ nil, 2, 3, 4 }'] = { nil, 2, 3, 4 },
+        }
+
+        for k,v in pairs(tests) do
+            local o = assert(serialize.unpack(k))
+            assert.are.same(v, o)
+        end
+    end)
+
+    it("errors on attempt to serialize functions in strict mode", function()
+        assert.has.error(function()
+            serialize.pack({
+                boom = function() end
+            })
+        end)
+        assert.has.error(function()
+            serialize.pack({
+                function() end
+            })
+        end)
+        assert.has.error(function()
+            serialize.pack({
+                1, 2, 3,
+                key = "a key",
+                boom = function() end
+            })
+        end)
+        assert.has.error(function()
+            serialize.pack({
+                1, 2, function() end,
+                key = "a key",
+                val = 10.0e-4
+            })
+        end)
+    end)
+
+    it("supports tables with complex keys", function()
+        local tablekey = { key = "table key", value = { nil, 1, 2, 3 }, booga = true }
+
+        local test = {
+            ['key with spaces'] = 1,
+            ['key with \'single quotes\''] = 2,
+            ['key with "double quotes"'] = 3,
+            ['key with "both" \'quotes\''] = 4,
+            ['\b key \\ with \a escapes \t'] = 5,
+            ['key with embedded \0 zero'] = 6,
+            [tablekey] = 7,
+            [10] = 8,
+            [0.5] = 9,
+            [true] = 10,
+            [false] = 11,
+            [-1] = 12
+        }
+
+        local s = assert.has_no.errors(function()
+            return serialize.pack(test)
+        end)
+
+        local o = assert(serialize.unpack(s))
+
+        -- Compare for equality (table key requires extra care).
+        for k,v in pairs(o) do
+            if type(k) == 'table' then
+                assert.are.same(tablekey, k)
+                assert.are.same(test[tablekey], v)
+            else
+                assert.are.same(test[k], v)
+            end
+        end
+
+        local function countkeys(o)
+            local n = 0
+            for _ in pairs(o) do n = n + 1 end
+            return n
+        end
+
+        assert.are.equal(countkeys(test), countkeys(o))
+    end)
+
+    it("supports nested tables", function()
+        pending("to be tested...")
+    end)
+
+    it("allows explicit skip of functions during pack()", function()
+        local expected = {
+            '{\n\n}',
+            '{\n\n}',
+            '{\n    1,\n    2,\n    key = "a key"\n}',
+            '{\n    1,\n    2,\n    3,\n    key = "a key"\n}'
+        }
+        local actual = {}
+
+        assert.has_no.errors(function()
+            actual[#actual+1] = serialize.pack({
+                boom = function() end
+            }, 1, 'skip-functions')
+            actual[#actual+1] = serialize.pack({
+                function() end
+            }, 1, 'skip-functions')
+            actual[#actual+1] = serialize.pack({
+                1, 2, function() end,
+                key = "a key"
+            }, 1, 'skip-functions')
+            actual[#actual+1] = serialize.pack({
+                1, 2, 3,
+                key = "a key",
+                boom = function() end
+            }, 1, 'skip-functions')
+        end)
+
+        assert.are.same(expected, actual)
+    end)
+
+    it("errors on non-finite keys or values", function()
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({  math.huge }) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ -math.huge }) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({  0/0 }) end)
+
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ [-math.huge] = "-inf" }) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ [ math.huge] = "inf" }) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ [ 0/0] = "NaN" }) end)
+
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ inf    =  math.huge }) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ neginf = -math.huge }) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack({ nan    =  0/0 }) end)
+    end)
+
+    it("may only pack() tables", function()
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack("meow") end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack(true) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack(42) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack(25.12) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack(nil) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.pack(function() end) end)
+    end)
+
+    it("may only unpack() strings", function()
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.unpack({}) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.unpack(true) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.unpack(42) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.unpack(25.12) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.unpack(nil) end)
+        assert.has.error(function() serialize.unpack(function() end) end)
+    end)
+end)