diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 6a775179..400c854d 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ readme = "README.md"
 keywords = ["yaml", "serde"]
 
 [dependencies]
+dtoa = "0.4"
 linked-hash-map = "0.5"
 num-traits = "0.1.37"
 serde = "1.0"
diff --git a/src/de.rs b/src/de.rs
index a5dc18d0..82ca8ffb 100644
--- a/src/de.rs
+++ b/src/de.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 //! This module provides YAML deserialization with the type `Deserializer`.
 
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::f64;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::io;
 use std::str;
@@ -490,6 +491,16 @@ fn visit_untagged_str<'de, V>(visitor: V, v: &str) -> Result<V::Value>
     if let Ok(n) = v.parse() {
         return visitor.visit_i64(n);
     }
+    match v.trim_left_matches('+') {
+        ".inf" | ".Inf" | ".INF" => return visitor.visit_f64(f64::INFINITY),
+        _ => (),
+    }
+    if v == "-.inf" || v == "-.Inf" || v == "-.INF" {
+        return visitor.visit_f64(f64::NEG_INFINITY);
+    }
+    if v == ".nan" || v == ".NaN" || v == ".NAN" {
+        return visitor.visit_f64(f64::NAN);
+    }
     if let Ok(n) = v.parse() {
         return visitor.visit_f64(n);
     }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 0efb2b38..2d9863ae 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 //!
 //! // Serialize it to a YAML string.
 //! let s = serde_yaml::to_string(&map).unwrap();
-//! assert_eq!(s, "---\nx: 1\n\"y\": 2");
+//! assert_eq!(s, "---\nx: 1.0\n\"y\": 2.0");
 //!
 //! // Deserialize it back to a Rust type.
 //! let deserialized_map: BTreeMap<String, f64> = serde_yaml::from_str(&s).unwrap();
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 //! let point = Point { x: 1.0, y: 2.0 };
 //!
 //! let s = serde_yaml::to_string(&point).unwrap();
-//! assert_eq!(s, "---\nx: 1\n\"y\": 2");
+//! assert_eq!(s, "---\nx: 1.0\n\"y\": 2.0");
 //!
 //! let deserialized_point: Point = serde_yaml::from_str(&s).unwrap();
 //! assert_eq!(point, deserialized_point);
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@
     empty_enum,
 ))]
 
+extern crate dtoa;
 extern crate linked_hash_map;
 extern crate num_traits;
 #[macro_use]
diff --git a/src/ser.rs b/src/ser.rs
index 4ca67f60..61552658 100644
--- a/src/ser.rs
+++ b/src/ser.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 //!
 //! This module provides YAML serialization with the type `Serializer`.
 
-use std::{fmt, io};
+use std::{fmt, io, num, str};
 
 use yaml_rust::{yaml, Yaml, YamlEmitter};
 
@@ -73,7 +73,16 @@ impl ser::Serializer for Serializer {
     }
 
     fn serialize_f64(self, v: f64) -> Result<Yaml> {
-        Ok(Yaml::Real(v.to_string()))
+        Ok(Yaml::Real(match v.classify() {
+            num::FpCategory::Infinite if v.is_sign_positive() => ".inf".into(),
+            num::FpCategory::Infinite => "-.inf".into(),
+            num::FpCategory::Nan => ".nan".into(),
+            _ => {
+                let mut buf = vec![];
+                ::dtoa::write(&mut buf, v).unwrap();
+                ::std::str::from_utf8(&buf).unwrap().into()
+            }
+        }))
     }
 
     fn serialize_char(self, value: char) -> Result<Yaml> {
diff --git a/tests/test_serde.rs b/tests/test_serde.rs
index f37e59f9..0d9f811c 100644
--- a/tests/test_serde.rs
+++ b/tests/test_serde.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ extern crate serde_yaml;
 extern crate unindent;
 use unindent::unindent;
 
+use std::f64;
 use std::fmt::Debug;
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 
@@ -73,6 +74,29 @@ fn test_float() {
         ---
         25.6");
     test_serde(&thing, &yaml);
+
+    let thing = 25.;
+    let yaml = unindent("
+        ---
+        25.0");
+    test_serde(&thing, &yaml);
+
+    let thing = f64::INFINITY;
+    let yaml = unindent("
+        ---
+        .inf");
+    test_serde(&thing, &yaml);
+
+    let thing = f64::NEG_INFINITY;
+    let yaml = unindent("
+        ---
+        -.inf");
+    test_serde(&thing, &yaml);
+
+    let float: f64 = serde_yaml::from_str(&unindent("
+        ---
+        .nan")).unwrap();
+    assert!(float.is_nan());
 }
 
 #[test]