diff --git a/preserves.nimble b/preserves.nimble
index 662b1b2..a852a14 100644
--- a/preserves.nimble
+++ b/preserves.nimble
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Package
 
-version = "20231225"
+version = "20231227"
 author        = "Emery Hemingway"
 description   = "data model and serialization format"
 license       = "Unlicense"
diff --git a/src/preserves.nim b/src/preserves.nim
index 0395459..382ee38 100644
--- a/src/preserves.nim
+++ b/src/preserves.nim
@@ -209,6 +209,8 @@ iterator pairs*[E](pr: Preserve[E]): DictEntry[E] =
   assert(pr.kind == pkDictionary, "not a dictionary")
   for i in 0..pr.dict.high: yield pr.dict[i]
 
+func isAtomic*(pr: Preserve): bool = pr.kind in atomKinds
+
 func isBoolean*(pr: Preserve): bool {.inline.} = pr.kind == pkBoolean
   ## Check if ``pr`` is a Preserve boolean.
 
@@ -414,8 +416,8 @@ proc toPreserve*[T](x: T; E = void): Preserve[E] {.gcsafe.} =
         v.embedded = true
     template fieldToPreserve(key: string; val: typed): Preserve {.used.} =
       when x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesLiteral):
-        const lit = parsePreserves(x.dot(key).getCustomPragmaVal(preservesLiteral))
-        cast[Preserve[E]](lit)
+        const atom = x.dot(key).getCustomPragmaVal(preservesLiteral).parsePreservesAtom
+        atom.toPreserveHook(E)
       else:
         toPreserve(val, E)
     when T.hasCustomPragma(unpreservable):
@@ -465,6 +467,28 @@ proc toPreserve*[T](x: T; E = void): Preserve[E] {.gcsafe.} =
     # the hook doesn't compile but produces a useful error
   trace T, " -> ", result
 
+proc toPreserveHook*(a: Atom; E: typedesc): Preserve[E] =
+  result = Preserve[E](kind: a.kind)
+  case a.kind
+  of pkBoolean:
+    result.bool = a.bool
+  of pkFloat:
+    result.float = a.float
+  of pkDouble:
+    result.double = a.double
+  of pkRegister:
+    result.register = a.register
+  of pkBigInt:
+    result.bigint = a.bigint
+  of pkString:
+    result.string = a.string
+  of pkByteString:
+    result.bytes = a.bytes
+  of pkSymbol:
+    result.symbol = a.symbol
+  else:
+    discard
+
 proc toPreserveHook*[T](set: HashSet[T]; E: typedesc): Preserve[E] =
   ## Hook for preserving ``HashSet``.
   result = Preserve[E](kind: pkSet, set: newSeqOfCap[Preserve[E]](set.len))
@@ -489,6 +513,69 @@ func containsNativeEmbeds[E](pr: Preserve[E]): bool =
     elif pr.kind == pkEmbedded:
       result = true
 
+proc fromAtom*[T](v: var T; a: ATom): bool =
+  if T is Atom:
+    v = a
+    result = true
+  if T is Preserve:
+    v = a.toPreservesHook
+    result = true
+  elif T is enum:
+    if a.kind == pkSymbol:
+      try:
+        v = parseEnum[T](string a.symbol)
+        result = true
+      except ValueError: discard
+  elif T is bool:
+    if a.kind == pkBoolean:
+      v = a.bool
+      result = true
+  elif T is SomeInteger:
+    if a.kind == pkRegister:
+      result = a.register.T < high(T)
+      if result:
+        v = T a.register
+    elif a.kind == pkBigInt:
+      var o = toInt[T](a.bigint)
+      result = o.isSome
+      if result: v = o.get
+  elif T is seq[byte]:
+    if a.kind == pkByteString:
+      v = a.bytes
+      result = true
+  elif T is float32:
+    if a.kind == pkFloat:
+      v = a.float
+      result = true
+  elif T is float64:
+    case a.kind
+    of pkFloat:
+      v = a.float
+      result = true
+    of pkDouble:
+      v = a.double
+      result = true
+    else: discard
+  elif T is Ordinal | SomeInteger:
+    if a.kind == pkRegister:
+      v = T(a.register)
+      result = int(v) == a.register
+    elif a.kind == pkBigInt:
+      var o = toInt[T](a.bigint)
+      if o.isSome:
+        v = get o
+        result = true
+  elif T is string:
+    if a.kind == pkString:
+      v = a.string
+      result = true
+  elif T is Symbol:
+    if a.kind == pkSymbol:
+      v = a.symbol
+      result = true
+  elif T is distinct:
+    result = fromAtom(v.distinctBase, a)
+
 proc fromPreserve*[T, E](v: var T; pr: Preserve[E]): bool {.gcsafe.} =
   ## Inplace version of `preserveTo`. Returns ``true`` on
   ## a complete match, otherwise returns ``false``.
@@ -609,8 +696,8 @@ proc fromPreserve*[T, E](v: var T; pr: Preserve[E]): bool {.gcsafe.} =
   elif T is object:
     template fieldFromPreserve(key: string; val: typed; pr: Preserve[E]): bool {.used.} =
       when v.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesLiteral):
-        const lit = parsePreserves(v.dot(key).getCustomPragmaVal(preservesLiteral))
-        pr == lit
+        const atom = v.dot(key).getCustomPragmaVal(preservesLiteral).parsePreservesAtom
+        pr == atom.toPreserveHook(E)
       else:
         fromPreserve(val, pr)
     when T.hasCustomPragma(unpreservable):
diff --git a/src/preserves/Tupfile b/src/preserves/Tupfile
index 8660033..4ba31e6 100644
--- a/src/preserves/Tupfile
+++ b/src/preserves/Tupfile
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ include_rules
 NIM_FLAGS += --path:$(TUP_CWD)/..
 : foreach preserves_schema_nim.nim schemaparse.nim |> !nim_bin |> $(BIN_DIR)/%B | $(BIN_DIR)/<%B>
 
-DOT_FILES = ../../Document.dot ../../Schema.dot
+DOT_FILES = ../../Atom.dot ../../Document.dot ../../Schema.dot
 : preserves_schemac.nim |> !nim_bin |> $(BIN_DIR)/preserves-schemac | $(DOT_FILES) $(BIN_DIR)/<preserves-schemac>
 : foreach $(DOT_FILES) |> dot -Tsvg -LO %f > %o |> ../../%B-Grammer-Graph.svg
diff --git a/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim b/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim
index 43ee4db..c5b76ca 100644
--- a/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim
@@ -102,11 +102,9 @@ proc pushHexNibble[T](result: var T; c: char) =
     else: return
   result = (result shl 4) or n
 
-proc parsePreserves*(text: string): Preserve[void] =
-  ## Parse a text-encoded Preserves `string` to a `Preserve` value.
-  runnableExamples:
-    assert parsePreserves"[ 1 2 3 ]" == [ 1, 2, 3 ].toPreserve
-  const pegParser = peg("Document", stack: Stack):
+proc parsePreserves*(text: string): Value =
+  ## Parse a text-encoded Preserves `string` to a Preserves `Value`.
+  let pegParser = peg("Document", stack: Stack):
     # Override rules from pegs.nim
 
     Document <- Preserves.Document
@@ -219,7 +217,7 @@ proc parsePreserves*(text: string): Preserve[void] =
       pushStack val
 
     Preserves.Compact <- Preserves.Compact:
-      pushStack decodePreserves(stack.pop.value.bytes, void)
+      pushStack decodePreserves(stack.pop.value.bytes)
 
   var stack: Stack
   let match = pegParser.match(text, stack)
@@ -229,6 +227,69 @@ proc parsePreserves*(text: string): Preserve[void] =
   stack.pop.value
 
 proc parsePreserves*(text: string; E: typedesc): Preserve[E] =
-  ## Parse a text-encoded Preserves `string` to a `Preserve[E]` value for embedded type `E`.
+  ## Parse a textencoded Preserves `string` to a `Preserve[E]` value for embedded type `E`.
   when E is void: parsePreserves(text)
   else: mapEmbeds(parsePreserves(text), E)
+
+proc parsePreservesAtom*(text: string): Atom =
+  ## Parse a text-encoded Preserves `string` to a Preserves `Atom`.
+  let pegParser = peg("Atom", a: Atom):
+    # Override rules from pegs.nim
+
+    Atom <- ?"#!" * Preserves.Atom
+
+    Preserves.Boolean <- Preserves.Boolean:
+      case $0
+      of "#f": a = Atom(kind: pkBoolean)
+      of "#t": a = Atom(kind: pkBoolean, bool: true)
+      else: discard
+
+    Preserves.Float <- Preserves.Float:
+      a = Atom(kind: pkFloat, float: parseFloat($1))
+
+    Preserves.Double <- Preserves.Double:
+      a = Atom(kind: pkDouble)
+      discard parseBiggestFloat($0, a.double)
+
+    Preserves.FloatRaw <- Preserves.FloatRaw:
+      var reg: uint32
+      for c in $1: pushHexNibble(reg, c)
+      a = Atom(kind: pkFloat, float: cast[float32](reg))
+
+    Preserves.DoubleRaw <- Preserves.DoubleRaw:
+      var reg: uint64
+      for c in $1: pushHexNibble(reg, c)
+      a = Atom(kind: pkDouble, double: cast[float64](reg))
+
+    Preserves.SignedInteger <- Preserves.SignedInteger:
+      var
+        big = initBigInt($0)
+        small = toInt[int](big)
+      if small.isSome:
+        a = Atom(kind: pkRegister, register: small.get)
+      else:
+        a = Atom(kind: pkBigInt, bigint: big)
+
+    Preserves.String <- Preserves.String:
+      a = Atom(kind: pkString, string: newStringOfCap(len($1)))
+      unescape(a.string, $1)
+      if validateUtf8(a.string) != -1:
+        raise newException(ValueError, "Preserves text contains an invalid UTF-8 sequence")
+
+    Preserves.charByteString <- Preserves.charByteString:
+      a = Atom(kind: pkByteString, bytes: newSeqOfCap[byte](len($1)))
+      unescape(a.bytes, $1)
+
+    Preserves.hexByteString <- Preserves.hexByteString:
+      a = Atom(kind: pkByteString, bytes: cast[seq[byte]](parseHexStr(joinWhitespace($1))))
+
+    Preserves.b64ByteString <- Preserves.b64ByteString:
+      a = Atom(kind: pkByteString, bytes: cast[seq[byte]](base64.decode(joinWhitespace($1))))
+
+    Preserves.Symbol <- Preserves.Symbol:
+      var buf = newStringOfCap(len($1))
+      unescape(buf, $1)
+      a = Atom(kind: pkSymbol, symbol: Symbol buf)
+
+  if not pegParser.match(text, result).ok:
+    raise newException(ValueError, "failed to parse Preserves atom: " & text)
diff --git a/src/preserves/private/values.nim b/src/preserves/private/values.nim
index 31444e3..6958ca0 100644
--- a/src/preserves/private/values.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/private/values.nim
@@ -21,6 +21,29 @@ proc hash*(s: Symbol): Hash {.borrow.}
 proc len*(s: Symbol): int {.borrow.}
 
 type
+  Atom* = object
+    ## Atomic Preserves value.
+    ## Useful when a `const Value` is required.
+    case kind*: PreserveKind
+    of pkBoolean:
+      bool*: bool
+    of pkFloat:
+      float*: float32
+    of pkDouble:
+      double*: float64
+    of pkRegister:
+      register*: int
+    of pkBigInt:
+      bigint*: BigInt
+    of pkString:
+      string*: string
+    of pkByteString:
+      bytes*: seq[byte]
+    of pkSymbol:
+      symbol*: Symbol
+    else:
+      discard
+
   Preserve*[E] = object
     embedded*: bool
       ## Flag to mark embedded Preserves
diff --git a/tests/test_parser.nim b/tests/test_parser.nim
index 06f1c3d..d587ac2 100644
--- a/tests/test_parser.nim
+++ b/tests/test_parser.nim
@@ -39,3 +39,5 @@ suite "parse":
           a = encode test
           b = bin
         check(cast[string](a).toHex == b.toHex)
+      if test.isAtomic:
+        discard parsePreservesAtom(txt)