diff --git a/python/testformat.py b/python/testformat.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a00123c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/testformat.py
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+from unittest import TestCase, main
+from msgpack import packs, unpacks
+
+class TestFormat(TestCase):
+    def __check(self, obj, expected_packed):
+        packed = packs(obj)
+        self.assertEqual(packed, expected_packed)
+        unpacked = unpacks(packed)
+        self.assertEqual(unpacked, obj)
+
+    def testSimpleValues(self):
+        self.__check(None, '\xc0')
+        self.__check(True, '\xc3')
+        self.__check(False, '\xc2')
+        self.__check(
+                [None, False, True],
+                '\x93\xc0\xc2\xc3'
+                )
+
+    def testFixnum(self):
+        self.__check(
+                [[0,64,127], [-32,-16,-1]],
+                "\x92\x93\x00\x40\x7f\x93\xe0\xf0\xff"
+                )
+    
+    def testFixArray(self):
+        self.__check(
+                [[],[[None]]],
+                "\x92\x90\x91\x91\xc0"
+                )
+
+    def testFixRaw(self):
+        self.__check(
+                ["", "a", "bc", "def"],
+                "\x94\xa0\xa1a\xa2bc\xa3def"
+                )
+        pass
+
+    def testFixMap(self):
+        self.__check(
+                {False: {None: None}, True:{None:{}}},
+                "\x82\xc2\x81\xc0\xc0\xc3\x81\xc0\x80"
+                )
+        pass
+
+
+class TestUnpack(TestCase):
+    def __check(self, packed, obj):
+        self.assertEqual(unpacks(packed), obj)
+
+    def testuint(self):
+        self.__check(
+                 "\x99\xcc\x00\xcc\x80\xcc\xff\xcd\x00\x00\xcd\x80\x00"
+                 "\xcd\xff\xff\xce\x00\x00\x00\x00\xce\x80\x00\x00\x00"
+                 "\xce\xff\xff\xff\xff",
+                 [0, 128, 255, 0, 32768, 65535, 0,
+                     2147483648, 4294967295],
+                 )
+
+
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()