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+## Alleycats
+
+### Overview
+
+Alleycats is a module of the [Cats](https://github.com/typelevel/cats)
+project that exists to support types which are not entirely savory or
+*law-abiding* but which may prove useful or necessary in some
+situations.
+
+In some cases, a type class instance can almost (but not quite) obey
+the required laws (e.g. a `Monad` instance for `scala.util.Try`). In
+other cases, type classes which lack laws or constraints may still be
+useful in some cases (e.g. `Empty[_]`, a type class which provides
+some notion of "emptiness").
+
+Rather than argue about whether to permit these types in cats proper, we
+provide a (slightly disreputable) home for them here.
+
+### Type classes
+
+Alleycats introduces several new type classes. Here is an overview of
+the instances introduced.
+
+#### Empty[A], Zero[A], and One[A]
+
+A commonly-requested type class is one that encodes the idea of a set
+having an identity element. Normally this would be done by defining a
+`Monoid[A]` instance, but in some cases the idea of emptiness is
+independent of a particular associative operation.
+
+In this case, `Empty[A]` may be used in place of `Monoid[A]`. It
+provides access to the *identity* element (via the `.empty` method),
+and can also provide `.isEmpty` and `.nonEmpty` if an `Eq[A]` is
+available.
+
+The two other type classes, `Zero[A]` and `One[A]`, are similar,
+except they correspond to `AdditiveMonoid[A]` and
+`MultiplicativeMonoid[A]` (found in the `algebra.ring` package). Their
+methods are called `zero` and `one`, respectively.
+
+While none of these type classes have their own laws, they are
+required not to violate the monoid laws when applicable. This means
+that if `Empty[A]` and `Semigroup[A]` are both available, that
+`Empty[A].empty` **must** function as an identity element for
+`Semigroup[A].combine`. In fact, together these instances can be
+viewed as a `Monoid[A]` (and there is an implicit method to that
+effect).
+
+The same rules apply to `Zero[A]` and `One[A]` and their respective
+associative operations.
+
+#### Pure[F[\_]] and Extract[F[\_]]
+
+The `Pure[F]` type class represents the `pure` method of
+`Applicative[F]` separated from its `map` and `ap` methods. Like the
+previous type classes, if `Pure[F]` and `Apply[F]` are both available
+they are required to be consistent (and should provide a valid
+`Applicative[F]` instance).
+
+Similarly, `Extract[F]` represents the `extract` method of
+`Comonad[F]` without `coflatMap` and `map` methods. When `Extract[F]`
+and `CoflatMap[F]` are available, they should provide a valid
+`Comonad[F]` instance.
+
+#### EmptyK[F[\_]]
+
+Finally, `EmptyK[F]` generalizes the `empty[A]` method from
+`MonoidK[F]`. The pattern here is the same as before --
+`SemigroupK[F]` and `EmptyK[F]` should provide a valid `MonoidK[F]`
+instance.
+
+### Instances
+
+Alleycats also provides some "disreputable" type class instances.
+
+#### Set[\_] instances
+
+Scala's `Set[_]` takes advantage of the universal availability of
+`.hashCode` and `.equals`. This makes it difficult to use
+[parametricity](https://failex.blogspot.jp/2013/06/fake-theorems-for-free.html)
+to reason about sets, and casts some doubt on their use with functors
+and monads.
+
+Alleycats provides `Monad[Set]` and `Traverse[Set]`. You can import
+these instances via `import alleycats.std.set._`.
+
+#### Try[\_] instances
+
+Scala's `Try[_]` is intended to replace the need for `try { ... }
+catch { ... }` syntax in Scala programs, to ease error-handling, and
+to transport exceptions as data. Due to the way `Try` transparently
+catches exceptions in `.map` and `.flatMap`, some people are skeptical
+that `Try` fulfills the necessary functor/monad laws.
+
+Alleycats provides a `Monad[Try]`. You can import this instance via
+`import alleycats.std.try._`.
+
+#### Iterable[\_] instances
+
+Scala's `collection.Iterable[_]` offers no guarantees that it's immutable,
+since it abstracts over the `mutable` and `immutable` variants. However it's
+the type used to represent a `Map`s `values`, and its often desirable to treat the
+values of a map as a `Foldable` collection. Alleycats provides a `Foldable[Iterable]`, eg:
+
+```
+import cats.implicits._
+import alleycats.std.iterable._
+
+//Result "AppleOrange"
+Map(1 -> "Apple", 2 -> "Orange").values.combineAll
+```
+
+### Contributing
+
+This module's goal is to be very liberal about accepting type class
+instances, but to only provide instances which are absent from
+cats proper. Law-abiding instances will end up in cats, and everything else will
+end up here.