diff --git a/src/js/ripple/serializedobject.js b/src/js/ripple/serializedobject.js
index 75904f41..e1a0db8b 100644
--- a/src/js/ripple/serializedobject.js
+++ b/src/js/ripple/serializedobject.js
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ SerializedObject.prototype.resetPointer = function () {
   this.pointer = 0;
 };
 
+/*
 SerializedObject.prototype.read = function (numberOfBytes) {
   var start = this.pointer;
   var end = start+numberOfBytes;
@@ -68,6 +69,23 @@ SerializedObject.prototype.read = function (numberOfBytes) {
 	return result;
   }
 };
+*/
+
+var readOrPeek = function (advance) {
+  return function(numberOfBytes) {
+	  var start = this.pointer;
+	  var end = start+numberOfBytes;
+	  if (end > this.buffer.length) {
+		throw new Error("There aren't that many bytes left.");
+	  } else {
+		var result = this.buffer.slice(start,end);
+		if (advance) {this.pointer = end;}
+		return result;
+	  }
+   }
+}
+SerializedObject.prototype.read = readOrPeek(true);
+SerializedObject.prototype.peek = readOrPeek(false);
 
 
 SerializedObject.prototype.to_bits = function ()
diff --git a/src/js/ripple/serializedtypes.js b/src/js/ripple/serializedtypes.js
index 075ea8ac..bd3401bc 100644
--- a/src/js/ripple/serializedtypes.js
+++ b/src/js/ripple/serializedtypes.js
@@ -540,15 +540,19 @@ function parse_whatever(so) {
 	} else {
 		type = TYPES_MAP[type_bits];
 	}
-	if (field_bits === 0) {
-		field_name = FIELDS_MAP[type_bits][so.read(1)[0]];
+	if ("undefined" === typeof type) {
+		throw Error("Unknown type");
 	} else {
-		field_name = FIELDS_MAP[type_bits][field_bits];
-	}
-	if ("undefined" === typeof field_name) {
-		return;
-	} else {
-		return [field_name, type.parse(so)]; //key, value
+		if (field_bits === 0) {
+			field_name = FIELDS_MAP[type_bits][so.read(1)[0]];
+		} else {
+			field_name = FIELDS_MAP[type_bits][field_bits];
+		}
+		if ("undefined" === typeof field_name) {
+			throw Error("Unknown field");
+		} else {
+			return [field_name, type.parse(so)]; //key, value
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -585,10 +589,10 @@ var STObject = exports.Object = new SerializedType({
   parse: function (so) {
     var output = {};
 	while (true) {
-		var key_and_value = parse_whatever(so);
-		if ("undefined" === typeof key_and_value) { //Careful: are there any legitimate cases where we'd get this?
+		if (so.peek(1)[0] === 0xe1) { //ending marker
 			break;
 		} else {
+			var key_and_value = parse_whatever(so);
 			output[key_and_value[0]] = key_and_value[1];
 		}
 	}
@@ -613,10 +617,10 @@ var STArray = exports.Array = new SerializedType({
   parse: function (so) {
     var output = [];
 	while (true) {
-		var key_and_value = parse_whatever(so);
-		if ("undefined" === typeof key_and_value) { //Careful: are there any legitimate cases where we'd get this?
+		if (so.peek(1)[0] === 0xf1) { //ending marker
 			break;
 		} else {
+			var key_and_value = parse_whatever(so);
 			var obj = {};
 			obj[key_and_value[0]] = key_and_value[1];
 			output.push(obj);