diff --git a/example/inspect.js b/example/inspect.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5ad4d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example/inspect.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+var inspect = require('../');
+
+var d = document.createElement('div');
+d.setAttribute('id', 'beep');
+d.innerHTML = '<b>wooo</b><i>iiiii</i>';
+
+console.log(inspect([ d, { a: 3, b : 4, c: [5,6,[7,[8,[9]]]] } ]));
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae4c047
--- /dev/null
+++ b/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+module.exports = function inspect_ (obj, opts, depth) {
+    if (!opts) opts = {};
+    var maxDepth = opts.depth || 5;
+    
+    if (depth === undefined) depth = 0;
+    if (depth > maxDepth) return '...';
+    
+    function inspect (value) {
+        return inspect_(value, opts, depth + 1);
+    }
+    
+    if (typeof obj === 'string') {
+        return "'" + obj.replace(/(['\\])/g, '\\$1') + "'";
+    }
+    else if (typeof HTMLElement !== 'undefined' && obj instanceof HTMLElement) {
+        var s = '<' + String(obj.tagName).toLowerCase();
+        var attrs = obj.attributes || [];
+        for (var i = 0; i < attrs.length; i++) {
+            s += ' ' + attrs[i].name + '="' + quote(attrs[i].value) + '"';
+        }
+        s += '>';
+        if (obj.childNodes && obj.childNodes.length) s += '...';
+        s += '</' + String(obj.tagName).toLowerCase() + '>';
+        return s;
+    }
+    else if (isArray(obj)) {
+        var xs = Array(obj.length);
+        for (var i = 0; i < obj.length; i++) {
+            xs[i] = inspect(obj[i]);
+        }
+        return '[ ' + xs.join(', ') + ' ]';
+    }
+    else if (typeof obj === 'object' && !isDate(obj) && !isRegExp(obj)) {
+        var xs = [];
+        for (var key in obj) {
+            if ({}.hasOwnProperty.call(obj, key)) {
+                if (/[^\w$]/.test(key)) {
+                    xs.push(inspect(key) + ': ' + inspect(obj[key]));
+                }
+                else xs.push(key + ': ' + inspect(obj[key]));
+            }
+        }
+        return '{ ' + xs.join(', ') + ' }';
+    }
+    else return String(obj);
+};
+
+function quote (s) {
+    return String(s).replace(/"/g, '&quot;');
+}
+
+function isArray (obj) {
+    return {}.toString.call(obj) === '[object Array]';
+}
+
+function isDate (obj) {
+    return {}.toString.call(obj) === '[object Date]';
+}
+
+function isRegExp (obj) {
+    return {}.toString.call(obj) === '[object RegExp]';
+}
diff --git a/readme.markdown b/readme.markdown
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28b4fa7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/readme.markdown
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# object-inspect
+
+inspect objects in node and in the browser
+
+# example
+
+## browser
+
+``` js
+var inspect = require('object-inspect');
+
+var d = document.createElement('div');
+d.setAttribute('id', 'beep');
+d.innerHTML = '<b>wooo</b><i>iiiii</i>';
+
+console.log(inspect([ d, { a: 3, b : 4, c: [5,6,[7,[8,[9]]]] } ]));
+```
+
+output:
+
+```
+[ <div id="beep">...</div>, { a: 3, b: 4, c: [ 5, 6, [ 7, [ 8, [ ... ] ] ] ] } ]
+```
+
+## node