diff --git a/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Binary.hs b/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Binary.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Binary.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances, ScopedTypeVariables #-}
+{-# OPTIONS -fno-warn-orphans #-}
+
+-- | Reading and writing Repa arrays as binary files.
+module Data.Array.Repa.IO.Binary
+        ( readArrayFromStorableFile
+        , writeArrayToStorableFile)
+where
+import Foreign.Storable
+import Foreign.Ptr
+import Foreign.ForeignPtr
+import Foreign.Marshal.Alloc
+import System.IO
+import Data.Array.Repa                  as R
+import Prelude                          as P
+import Control.Monad
+
+
+-- | Read an array from a file.
+--   Data appears in host byte order.
+--   If the file size does match the provided shape then `error`.
+readArrayFromStorableFile 
+        :: forall a sh
+        .  (Shape sh, Storable a, Elt a)
+        => FilePath 
+        -> sh
+        -> IO (Array sh a)
+
+readArrayFromStorableFile filePath sh
+ = do
+        -- Determine number of bytes per element.
+        let (fake   :: Array sh a)      = R.fromList R.zeroDim []
+        let (bytes1 :: Integer)         = fromIntegral $ sizeOf (fake R.! R.zeroDim)
+
+        -- Determine how many elements the whole file will give us.
+        h :: Handle     <- openBinaryFile filePath ReadMode
+        bytesTotal      <- hFileSize h
+
+        let lenTotal      =  bytesTotal `div` bytes1
+        let bytesExpected =  bytes1 * lenTotal
+        
+        when (bytesTotal /= bytesExpected)
+         $ error $ unlines
+                ["Data.Array.Repa.IO.Binary.readArrayFromStorableFile: not a whole number of elements in file"
+                , "element length = " P.++ show bytes1
+                , "file size      = " P.++ show bytesTotal
+                , "slack space    = " P.++ show (bytesTotal `mod` bytes1) ]
+         
+        let bytesTotal' = fromIntegral bytesTotal
+        buf :: Ptr a    <- mallocBytes bytesTotal' 
+        bytesRead       <- hGetBuf h buf bytesTotal'
+        when (bytesTotal' /= bytesRead)
+         $ error "Data.Array.Repa.IO.Binary.readArrayFromStorableFile: read failed"
+
+        hClose h
+        fptr     <- newForeignPtr finalizerFree buf        
+
+        -- Converting the foreign ptr like this means that the array
+        -- elements are used directly from the buffer, and not copied.
+        let arr  =  R.unsafeFromForeignPtr sh fptr
+
+        return   $  arr `asTypeOf` fake
+
+
+-- | Write an array to a file.
+--   Data appears in host byte order.
+writeArrayToStorableFile
+        :: forall sh a 
+        .  (Shape sh, Storable a, Elt a)
+        => FilePath 
+        -> Array sh a
+        -> IO ()
+
+writeArrayToStorableFile filePath arr
+ = do   let bytes1      = sizeOf (arr R.! R.zeroDim)
+        let bytesTotal  = bytes1 * (R.size $ R.extent arr)
+        
+        buf :: Ptr a    <- mallocBytes bytesTotal
+        R.forceWith (pokeElemOff buf) arr
+        
+        h <- openBinaryFile filePath WriteMode
+        hPutBuf h buf bytesTotal 
+        hClose h
diff --git a/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Matrix.hs b/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Matrix.hs
--- a/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Matrix.hs
+++ b/Data/Array/Repa/IO/Matrix.hs
@@ -21,10 +21,14 @@
 import Prelude					as P
 
 
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- | Read a matrix from a text file.
+--   WARNING: This is implemented fairly naively, just using `Strings` 
+--   under the covers. It will be slow for large data files.
+-- 
+--   It also doesn't do graceful error handling.
+--   If the file has the wrong format you'll get a confusing `error`.
 --
---   WARNING: This doesn't do graceful error handling. If the file has the wrong format
---   you'll get a confusing `error`.
 readMatrixFromTextFile
 	:: (Elt a, Num a, Read a)
 	=> FilePath
diff --git a/repa-io.cabal b/repa-io.cabal
--- a/repa-io.cabal
+++ b/repa-io.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:                repa-io
-Version:             2.1.0.1
+Version:             2.2.0.1
 License:             BSD3
 License-file:        LICENSE
 Author:              The DPH Team
@@ -19,10 +19,12 @@
 Library
   Build-Depends: 
         base                 == 4.*,
-        repa                 == 2.1.*,
-        repa-bytestring      == 2.1.*,
+        repa                 == 2.2.*,
+        repa-bytestring      == 2.2.*,
         bmp                  == 1.1.*,
-        old-time             == 1.0.*
+        old-time             == 1.0.*,
+        vector               == 0.9.*,
+        binary               == 0.5.*
 
   ghc-options:
         -Odph -Wall -fno-warn-missing-signatures
@@ -32,6 +34,7 @@
         Data.Array.Repa.IO.BMP
         Data.Array.Repa.IO.Vector
         Data.Array.Repa.IO.Matrix
+        Data.Array.Repa.IO.Binary
         Data.Array.Repa.IO.Timing
       
   Other-modules: