diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 578649e..b229e40 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@ const d = new Diagram("foo", new Choice(0, "bar", "baz"));
 // Or use the functions that call the constructors for you
 import rr from "./railroad.js";
 const d = rr.Diagram("foo", rr.Choice(0, "bar", "baz"));
+
+// Or use the JSON serialization of the diagram
+import {Diagram} from "./railroad.js";
+const d = Diagram.fromJSON([
+  { type: 'Terminal', text: 'foo' }.
+  { type: 'Choice', normalIndex: 0, options: [
+      { type: 'Terminal', text: 'bar' }, { type: 'Terminal', text: 'baz' }
+  ] } ]);
 ```
 
 Alternately, you can call ComplexDiagram();
@@ -55,7 +63,6 @@ The Diagram class also has a few methods:
 * `.toSVG()` outputs the diagram as an actual `<svg>` DOM element, ready for appending into a document.
 * `.addTo(parent?)` directly appends the diagram, as an `<svg>` element, to the specified parent element. If you omit the parent element, it instead appends to the script element it's being called from, so you can easily insert a diagram into your document by just dropping a tiny inline `<script>` that just calls `new Diagram(...).addTo()` where you want the diagram to show up.
 
-
 Components
 ----------
 
@@ -137,6 +144,40 @@ you'll have to go adjust the options specifying the text metrics as well.
 * `Options.COMMENT_CHAR_WIDTH` - the approximate width, in CSS px, of character in `Comment` text, which by default is smaller than the other textual items. Defaults to `7`.
 * `Options.DEBUG` - if `true`, writes some additional "debug information" into the attributes of elements in the output, to help debug sizing issues. Defaults to `false`.
 
+JSON
+----
+
+Diagrams can be created from a JSON serialization using `Diagram.fromJSON(input)` or `ComplexDiagram.fromJSON(input)`. (If the JSON input starts with a `Diagram` or `ComplexDigram` node, it will be honoured and the parent class of `fromJSON` will not apply.)
+
+The JSON serialization can be a single object or an array of objects in the format `{ "type": "...", ...parameters }`, where `type` is a class name of a node and `parameters` are constructor arguments following more-or-less closely the naming conventions from the documentation above.
+
+```
+{ "type": "Diagram", "items" }
+{ "type": "ComplexDiagram", "items" }
+
+{ "type": "Terminal, "text", "href", "title" }
+{ "type": "NonTerminal", "text", "href", "title" }
+{ "type": "Comment", "text", "href", "title" }
+{ "type": "Skip" }
+{ "type": "Start", "startType", "label" }
+{ "type": "End", "endType" }
+
+{ "type": "Sequence", "items" }
+{ "type": "Stack", "items" }
+{ "type": "OptionalSequence", "items" }
+{ "type": "Sequence", "items" }
+{ "type": "Choice", "normalIndex", "options" }
+{ "type": "MultipleChoice", "normalIndex", "choiceType", "options" }
+{ "type": "HorizontalChoice", "options" }
+{ "type": "Optional", "item", "skip" }
+{ "type": "OneOrMore", "item", "repeat" }
+{ "type": "AlternatingSequence", "option1", "option2" }
+{ "type": "ZeroOrMore", "item", "repeat", "skip" }
+{ "type": "Group", "item", "label" }
+```
+
+If the diagram input should be edited manually, using YAML instead of JSON will make maintenance easier. YAML can be converted to JSON before calling `fromJSON`.
+
 Caveats
 -------
 
diff --git a/railroad.js b/railroad.js
index 711387e..a9473ab 100644
--- a/railroad.js
+++ b/railroad.js
@@ -308,8 +308,12 @@ export class Diagram extends DiagramMultiContainer {
 		delete this.attrs.xmlns;
 		return result;
 	}
+	static fromJSON(input = []) {
+		return diagramFromJSON(Diagram, input);
+	}
 }
 funcs.Diagram = (...args)=>new Diagram(...args);
+funcs.Diagram.fromJSON = Diagram.fromJSON;
 
 
 export class ComplexDiagram extends FakeSVG {
@@ -319,8 +323,12 @@ export class ComplexDiagram extends FakeSVG {
 		diagram.items[diagram.items.length-1] = new End({type:"complex"});
 		return diagram;
 	}
+	static fromJSON(input = []) {
+		return diagramFromJSON(ComplexDiagram, input);
+	}
 }
 funcs.ComplexDiagram = (...args)=>new ComplexDiagram(...args);
+funcs.ComplexDiagram.fromJSON = ComplexDiagram.fromJSON;
 
 
 export class Sequence extends DiagramMultiContainer {
@@ -1414,3 +1422,84 @@ function* enumerate(iter) {
 		count++;
 	}
 }
+
+function diagramFromJSON(Diagram, input) {
+	if (!input) return new Diagram();
+	// Wrap an array of nodes in the diagram type decided by the parent
+	// class of the calling static fromJSON method.
+	if (Array.isArray(input)) {
+		return new Diagram(...input.map(nodeFromJSON));
+	}
+	// Retain the diagram type specified in the input regardless the parent
+	// class of the calling static fromJSON method.
+	switch (input.type) {
+		case 'Diagram':
+		case 'ComplexDiagram':
+			return nodeFromJSON(input);
+	}
+	// Wrap the single node in the diagram type decided by the parent
+	// class of the calling static fromJSON method.
+	return new Diagram(nodeFromJSON(input));
+}
+
+const classes = {
+	Diagram, ComplexDiagram, Sequence, Stack, OptionalSequence, HorizontalChoice,
+	AlternatingSequence, Choice, MultipleChoice, Optional, OneOrMore, ZeroOrMore,
+	Group, Start, End, Terminal, NonTerminal, Comment, Skip
+}
+
+function nodeFromJSON(node) {
+	if (!node) return;
+	const Node = classes[node.type];
+	switch (Node) {
+		case Diagram:
+		case ComplexDiagram:
+		case Sequence:
+		case Stack:
+		case OptionalSequence:
+		case HorizontalChoice:
+			return new Node(...itemsFromJSON(node.items));
+
+		case AlternatingSequence:
+			return new Node(nodeFromJSON(node.option1), nodeFromJSON(node.option2));
+
+		case Choice:
+			return new Node(node.normalIndex || 0, ...itemsFromJSON(node.options));
+
+		case MultipleChoice:
+			return new Node(node.normalIndex || 0, node.choiceType,
+				...itemsFromJSON(node.options));
+
+		case Optional:
+			return new Node(nodeFromJSON(node.item), node.skip && 'skip');
+
+		case OneOrMore:
+			return new Node(nodeFromJSON(node.item), nodeFromJSON(node.repeat));
+
+		case ZeroOrMore:
+			return new Node(nodeFromJSON(node.item), nodeFromJSON(node.repeat),
+				node.skip && 'skip');
+
+		case Group:
+			return new Node(nodeFromJSON(node.item), node.label);
+
+		case Start:
+			return new Node(node.startType, node.label);
+
+		case End:
+			return new Node(node.endType);
+
+		case Terminal:
+		case NonTerminal:
+		case Comment:
+			return new Node(node.text, { href: node.href, title: node.title });
+
+		case Skip:
+			return new Node();
+	}
+	throw new Error(`Unknown node type: "${node.type}".`)
+}
+
+function itemsFromJSON(items) {
+	return items ? items.map(nodeFromJSON) : [];
+}