diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 016bcc8..20a2a0c 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ use std::io::Write; // for bytes.write_all; push_all is unstable and extend is s
 use std::io::Result as IOResult;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::num::*;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 pub mod abomonated;
 
@@ -534,6 +535,36 @@ impl<T: Abomonation> Abomonation for Box<T> {
     }
 }
 
+impl<T: Abomonation + 'static + Sized + Unpin> Abomonation for Arc<T> {
+    #[inline]
+    unsafe fn entomb<W: std::io::Write>(&self, write: &mut W) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+        /* Since the value T has not yet been seen by abomonate (it is behind a pointer)
+         * we need to fully encode it.
+         */
+        encode(self.as_ref(), write)
+    }
+    #[inline]
+    unsafe fn exhume<'a, 'b>(&'a mut self, bytes: &'b mut [u8]) -> Option<&'b mut [u8]> {
+        use std::ptr;
+        /* The idea here is to construct a new Arc<T> from the entombed bytes.
+         * The state of this ArcVal upon entry of this function contains only an invalid
+         * pointer to an ArcInner that we need to dispose of without trying to run
+         * its destructor (which would panic).
+         */
+        let (value, bytes) = decode::<T>(bytes)?;
+        // value is just a reference to the first part of old bytes, so move it into a new Arc
+        let arc = Arc::new(ptr::read(value));
+        // now swap the fresh arc into its place ...
+        let garbage = std::mem::replace(self, arc);
+        // ... and forget about the old one
+        mem::forget(garbage);
+        Some(bytes)
+    }
+    fn extent(&self) -> usize {
+        std::mem::size_of::<T>() + self.as_ref().extent()
+    }
+}
+
 // This method currently enables undefined behavior, by exposing padding bytes.
 #[inline] unsafe fn typed_to_bytes<T>(slice: &[T]) -> &[u8] {
     std::slice::from_raw_parts(slice.as_ptr() as *const u8, slice.len() * mem::size_of::<T>())
diff --git a/tests/tests.rs b/tests/tests.rs
index 340e776..0329e1d 100644
--- a/tests/tests.rs
+++ b/tests/tests.rs
@@ -128,3 +128,27 @@ fn test_net_types() {
     let (t, r) = unsafe { decode::<SocketAddr>(&mut bytes) }.unwrap(); assert!(*t == socket_addr4);
     let (t, _r) = unsafe { decode::<SocketAddr>(r) }.unwrap(); assert!(*t == socket_addr6);
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn test_ref_types() {
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+    let value = Arc::new("hello".to_owned());
+
+    let mut bytes = Vec::new();
+    unsafe { abomonation::encode(&value, &mut bytes).unwrap() };
+    // abomonated bytes end with "hello"
+    assert_eq!(&bytes[bytes.len() - 5..], b"hello");
+
+    let mut reference = Vec::new();
+    unsafe { abomonation::encode(&"hello".to_owned(), &mut reference).unwrap() };
+    // abomonating an Arc is like abomonating a pointer and then the contained value
+    assert_eq!(&bytes[std::mem::size_of::<usize>() + 2..], &reference[2..]);
+
+    // modify the bytes to see that deserialization uses them and not the pointer
+    let pos = bytes.len() - 4;
+    bytes[pos] = b'a';
+
+    let (value2, bytes) = unsafe { abomonation::decode::<Arc<String>>(&mut bytes).unwrap() };
+    assert_eq!(value2.as_ref(), "hallo");
+    assert!(bytes.is_empty());
+}
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