diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
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--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #### New features
 
   * Child themes can define their own alternate styles
+  * README file introducing users and developers to working with Tarski
 
 #### Tweaks
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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index 0000000..001929c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+Tarski
+======
+
+[Tarski][tarski] is an elegant, flexible [WordPress][wp] theme developed by
+[Benedict Eastaugh][exl]. As a WordPress extension it is licensed under the
+GPL; please consult the COPYRIGHT file that should have been provided with this
+README for more details.
+
+
+Installing
+----------
+
+Tarski is installed like any other WordPress theme: upload the files to the
+`wp-content/themes` directory of your WordPress installation, and activate it
+from the Appearance page in your WordPress admin panel.
+
+
+Customising
+-----------
+
+Tarski provides its own options page, allowing for the easy customisation of a
+number of aspects of the theme. Just go to the Tarski options page in the
+Appearance section of your WordPress admin panel and adjust the settings.
+
+
+Extending
+---------
+
+Apart from the options which Tarski supports two basic extension mechanisms:
+plugins and child themes. Both of these are provided by WordPress, but Tarski
+improves upon them in several ways, firstly by providing a larger repertoire of
+API hooks which plugins can use, and secondly by allowing users to select
+alternate styles and header images from child themes as well as Tarski itself.
+
+
+### Child themes
+
+Tarski's extensive API and large library of utility functions, allied to the
+customisability provided by its options page, makes it an excellent base for
+building [WordPress child themes][td].
+
+
+### Writing plugins
+
+[Tarski's theme hooks API][hooks] is an extension of the basic WordPress hooks
+API, and allows for major modifications to be made to almost every aspect of
+the theme's functionality. [Writing Plugins for Tarski][plugins] explains the
+process of creating a plugin that modifies some aspect of Tarski, while the
+[Hooks Reference][ref] is a complete API reference. A library of
+[example plugins][examples] rounds out the documentation with example code.
+
+
+Contributing
+------------
+
+Tarski relies on contributions from the community. The main areas of activity
+are: reporting bugs; creating and updating translations; building child themes;
+writing plugins; and lastly, improving the theme itself.
+
+
+### Reporting bugs
+
+Bugs should be reported on the [Tarski issue tracker][issues]. If you're not
+sure whether the behaviour you're observing is caused by Tarski or WordPress,
+or whether it's intentional or not, please post on the [Tarski forum][forum].
+Security issues should be reported [directly to Benedict][contact].
+
+
+### Translations
+
+There are a large number of translations already available for Tarski, but new
+and updated localisation files are always welcome. Please see the
+[localisation page][i18n] for more details.
+
+
+### Core contributions
+
+If you want to contribute directly to the core Tarski code, please
+[fork the project on GitHub][gh], make your changes in a topic branch and send
+a pull request. Contributions are particularly welcome in the following areas:
+
+  * Improving the hooks documentation
+  * Auditing the code for potential security issues
+  * Suggesting API extensions and improvements
+
+Happy hacking!
+
+
+  [tarski]:   http://tarskitheme.com/
+  [wp]:       http://wordpress.org/
+  [exl]:       http://extralogical.net/
+  [issues]:   http://github.com/ionfish/tarski/issues
+  [forum]:    http://tarskitheme.com/forum/
+  [contact]:  http://extralogical.net/about/
+  [i18n]:     http://tarskitheme.com/help/localisation/
+  [td]:       http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development
+  [hooks]:    http://tarskitheme.com/help/hooks/
+  [plugins]:  http://tarskitheme.com/help/hooks/plugins/
+  [ref]:      http://tarskitheme.com/help/hooks/reference/
+  [examples]: http://tarskitheme.com/help/hooks/example-plugins/
+  [gh]:       http://github.com/ionfish/tarski