diff --git a/cwDataSets.cpp b/cwDataSets.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..373de70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cwDataSets.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,236 @@
+#include "cwCommon.h"
+#include "cwLog.h"
+#include "cwCommonImpl.h"
+#include "cwMem.h"
+#include "cwFile.h"
+#include "cwFileSys.h"
+#include "cwMtx.h"
+#include "cwDataSets.h"
+#include "cwSvg.h"
+
+
+namespace cw
+{
+  namespace dataset
+  {
+    namespace mnist
+    {
+      typedef struct mnist_str
+      {
+        mtx::fmtx_t* train = nullptr;
+        mtx::fmtx_t* valid = nullptr;
+        mtx::fmtx_t* test  = nullptr;
+        
+      } mnist_t;
+
+      inline mnist_t* _handleToPtr(handle_t h )
+      { return handleToPtr<handle_t,mnist_t>(h); }
+
+      rc_t _destroy( mnist_t* p )
+      {
+        rc_t rc = kOkRC;
+
+        mtx::release(p->train);
+        mtx::release(p->valid);
+        mtx::release(p->test);
+        mem::release(p);
+        return rc;
+      }
+
+      rc_t _read_file( const char* dir, const char* fn, mtx::fmtx_t*& m )
+      {
+        rc_t           rc       = kOkRC;
+        file::handle_t fH;
+        unsigned       exampleN = 0;
+        const unsigned kPixN    = 784;
+        const unsigned kRowN    = kPixN+1;
+        unsigned       dimV[]   = {kRowN,0};
+        const unsigned dimN     = sizeof(dimV)/sizeof(dimV[0]);        
+        float*         v        = nullptr;
+        char*          path     = filesys::makeFn(dir, fn, ".bin", NULL );
+
+        // open the file
+        if((rc = file::open(fH,path, file::kReadFl | file::kBinaryFl )) != kOkRC )
+        {
+          rc = cwLogError(rc,"MNIST file open failed on '%s'.",cwStringNullGuard(path));
+          goto errLabel;
+        }
+        
+        // read the count of examples
+        if((rc = readUInt(fH,&exampleN)) != kOkRC )
+        {
+          rc = cwLogError(rc,"Unable to read MNIST example count.");
+          goto errLabel;
+        }
+
+        // allocate the data memory
+        v = mem::alloc<float>( kRowN * exampleN );
+
+        // read each example
+        for(unsigned i=0,j=0; i<exampleN; ++i,j+=kRowN)
+        {
+          unsigned digitLabel;
+
+          // read the digit image label
+          if((rc = readUInt(fH,&digitLabel)) != kOkRC )
+          {
+            rc = cwLogError(rc,"Unable to read MNIST label on example %i.",i);
+            goto errLabel;
+          }
+
+          v[j] = digitLabel;
+
+          // read the image pixels
+          if((rc = readFloat(fH,v+j+1,kPixN)) != kOkRC )
+          {
+            rc = cwLogError(rc,"Unable to read MNIST data vector on example %i.",i);
+            goto errLabel;
+          }
+
+        }
+
+        dimV[1] = exampleN;
+        m = mtx::alloc<float>( dimN, dimV, v, mtx::kAliasReleaseFl );
+
+      errLabel:
+        file::close(fH);
+        mem::release(path);
+        return rc;        
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+
+cw::rc_t cw::dataset::mnist::create( handle_t& h, const char* dir )
+{
+  rc_t           rc;
+  mnist_t*       p = nullptr;
+  
+  if((rc = destroy(h)) != kOkRC )
+    return rc;
+
+  p = mem::allocZ<mnist_t>(1);
+
+  // read the training data
+  if((rc = _read_file( dir, "mnist_train", p->train )) != kOkRC )
+  {
+    rc = cwLogError(rc,"MNIST training set load failed.");
+    goto errLabel;
+  }
+
+  // read the validation data
+  if((rc = _read_file( dir, "mnist_valid", p->valid )) != kOkRC )
+  {
+    rc = cwLogError(rc,"MNIST validation set load failed.");
+    goto errLabel;
+  }
+
+  // read the testing data
+  if((rc = _read_file( dir, "mnist_test", p->test )) != kOkRC )
+  {
+    rc = cwLogError(rc,"MNIST test set load failed.");
+    goto errLabel;    
+  }
+
+  h.set(p);
+
+ errLabel:
+  if( rc != kOkRC )
+    _destroy(p);
+  
+  return rc;
+}
+
+cw::rc_t cw::dataset::mnist::destroy( handle_t& h )
+{
+  rc_t rc = kOkRC;
+  if( !h.isValid())
+    return rc;
+
+  mnist_t* p = _handleToPtr(h);
+
+  if((rc = _destroy(p)) != kOkRC )
+    return rc;
+
+  h.clear();
+  
+  return rc;  
+}
+
+const cw::mtx::fmtx_t* cw::dataset::mnist::train(    handle_t h )
+{
+  mnist_t* p = _handleToPtr(h);
+  return p->train;
+}
+
+const cw::mtx::fmtx_t* cw::dataset::mnist::validate( handle_t h )
+{
+  mnist_t* p = _handleToPtr(h);
+  return p->valid;
+}
+
+const cw::mtx::fmtx_t* cw::dataset::mnist::test(     handle_t h )
+{
+  mnist_t* p = _handleToPtr(h);
+  return p->test;
+}
+
+
+
+cw::rc_t cw::dataset::mnist::test( const char* dir, const char* imageFn )
+{
+  rc_t rc = kOkRC;
+  handle_t h;
+  if((rc = create(h, dir )) == kOkRC )
+  {
+    svg::handle_t svgH;
+
+    if((rc = svg::create(svgH)) != kOkRC )
+      rc = cwLogError(rc,"SVG Test failed on create.");
+    else
+    {
+      const mtx::fmtx_t* m = train(h);
+      /*
+      unsigned zn = 0;
+      unsigned i = 1;
+      for(; i<m->dimV[1]; ++i)
+      {
+        const float* v0 = m->base + (28*28+1) * (i-1) + 1;
+        const float* v1 = m->base + (28*28+1) * (i-0) + 1;
+        float d = 0;
+        
+        for(unsigned j=0; j<28*28; ++j)
+          d += fabs(v0[j]-v1[j]);
+
+        if( d==0 )
+          ++zn;
+        else
+        {
+          printf("%i %i %f\n",i,zn,d);
+          zn = 0;
+        }
+      }
+
+      printf("i:%i n:%i zn:%i\n",i,m->dimV[1],zn);
+      */
+      
+      for(unsigned i=0; i<10; ++i)
+      {
+        svg::offset(svgH, 0, i*30*5 );
+        svg::image(svgH, m->base + (28*28+1)*i, 28, 28, 5, svg::kInvGrayScaleColorMapId);
+      }
+      
+      svg::write(svgH, imageFn, nullptr, svg::kStandAloneFl | svg::kGenInlineStyleFl, 10,10,10,10);
+      
+      
+      svg::destroy(svgH);
+    }
+    
+    rc = destroy(h);
+  }
+
+  return rc;
+}
+
+
diff --git a/cwDataSets.h b/cwDataSets.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8cf27db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cwDataSets.h
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#ifndef cwDataSets_h
+#define cwDataSets_h
+
+
+namespace cw
+{
+  namespace dataset
+  {
+    namespace mnist
+    {
+      typedef handle<struct mnist_str> handle_t;
+
+      rc_t create( handle_t& h, const char* dir );
+      rc_t destroy( handle_t& h );
+      
+      // Each column has one example.
+      // The top row contains the labels.
+      const mtx::fmtx_t* train(    handle_t h );
+      const mtx::fmtx_t* validate( handle_t h );
+      const mtx::fmtx_t* test(     handle_t h );
+
+      rc_t test(const char* dir, const char* imageFn );
+
+      
+    }
+  }
+
+  
+}
+
+
+#endif