diff --git a/library/algebra/algebra.md b/library/algebra/algebra.md
index 0fc820025..8f3019b15 100644
--- a/library/algebra/algebra.md
+++ b/library/algebra/algebra.md
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ Algebraic structures.
 * [ordered_ring](ordered_ring.lean)
 * [field](field.lean)
 * [ordered_field](ordered_field.lean)
+* [module](module.lean) : modules, vector spaces, and linear maps
 * [ring_power](ring_power.lean) : power in ring structures
 * [ring_bigops](ring_bigops.lean) : products and sums in various structures
 * [bundled](bundled.lean) : bundled versions of the algebraic structures
diff --git a/library/algebra/module.lean b/library/algebra/module.lean
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a6c3337b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/library/algebra/module.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2015 Nathaniel Thomas. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Nathaniel Thomas, Jeremy Avigad
+
+Modules and vector spaces over a ring.
+-/
+import algebra.field
+
+structure has_scalar [class] (F V : Type) :=
+(smul : F → V → V)
+
+infixl ` • `:73 := has_scalar.smul
+
+/- modules over a ring -/
+
+structure left_module [class] (R M : Type) [ringR : ring R]
+  extends has_scalar R M, add_comm_group M :=
+(smul_distrib_left : ∀ (r : R) (x y : M), smul r (add x y) = (add (smul r x) (smul r y)))
+(smul_distrib_right : ∀ (r s : R) (x : M), smul (ring.add r s) x = (add (smul r x) (smul s x)))
+(smul_mul : ∀ r s x, smul (mul r s) x = smul r (smul s x))
+(smul_one : ∀ x, smul one x = x)
+
+section left_module
+  variables {R M : Type}
+  variable  [ringR : ring R]
+  variable  [moduleRM : left_module R M]
+  include   ringR moduleRM
+
+  -- Note: the anonymous include does not work in the propositions below.
+
+  proposition smul_distrib_left (a : R) (u v : M) : a • (u + v) = a • u + a • v :=
+  !left_module.smul_distrib_left
+
+  proposition smul_distrib_right (a b : R) (u : M) : (a + b)•u = a•u + b•u :=
+  !left_module.smul_distrib_right
+
+  proposition smul_mul (a : R) (b : R) (u : M) : (a * b) • u = a • (b • u) :=
+  !left_module.smul_mul
+
+  proposition one_smul (u : M) : (1 : R) • u = u := !left_module.smul_one
+
+  proposition zero_smul (u : M) : (0 : R) • u = 0 :=
+  have (0 : R) • u + 0 • u = 0 • u + 0, by rewrite [-smul_distrib_right, *add_zero],
+  !add.left_cancel this
+
+  proposition smul_zero (a : R) : a • (0 : M) = 0 :=
+  have a • 0 + a • 0 = a • 0 + 0, by rewrite [-smul_distrib_left, *add_zero],
+  !add.left_cancel this
+
+  proposition neg_smul (a : R) (u : M) : (-a) • u = - (a • u) :=
+  eq_neg_of_add_eq_zero (by rewrite [-smul_distrib_right, add.left_inv, zero_smul])
+
+  proposition neg_one_smul (u : M) : -(1 : R) • u = -u :=
+  by rewrite [neg_smul, one_smul]
+end left_module
+
+/- linear maps -/
+
+structure is_linear_map [class] (R : Type) {M₁ M₂ : Type}
+  [smul₁ : has_scalar R M₁] [smul₂ : has_scalar R M₂]
+  [add₁ : has_add M₁] [add₂ : has_add M₂]
+  (T : M₁ → M₂) :=
+(additive : ∀ u v : M₁, T (u + v) = T u + T v)
+(homogeneous : ∀ a : R, ∀ u : M₁, T (a • u) = a • T u)
+
+proposition linear_map_additive (R : Type) {M₁ M₂ : Type}
+    [smul₁ : has_scalar R M₁] [smul₂ : has_scalar R M₂]
+    [add₁ : has_add M₁] [add₂ : has_add M₂]
+    (T : M₁ → M₂) [linT : is_linear_map R T] (u v : M₁) :
+  T (u + v) = T u + T v :=
+is_linear_map.additive smul₁ smul₂ _ _ T u v
+
+proposition linear_map_homogeneous {R M₁ M₂ : Type}
+    [smul₁ : has_scalar R M₁] [smul₂ : has_scalar R M₂]
+    [add₁ : has_add M₁] [add₂ : has_add M₂]
+    (T : M₁ → M₂) [linT : is_linear_map R T] (a : R) (u : M₁) :
+  T (a • u) = a • T u :=
+is_linear_map.homogeneous smul₁ smul₂ _ _ T a u
+
+proposition is_linear_map_id [instance] (R : Type) {M : Type}
+    [smulRM : has_scalar R M] [has_addM : has_add M] :
+  is_linear_map R (id : M → M) :=
+is_linear_map.mk (take u v, rfl) (take a u, rfl)
+
+section is_linear_map
+  variables {R M₁ M₂ : Type}
+  variable  [ringR : ring R]
+  variable  [moduleRM₁ : left_module R M₁]
+  variable  [moduleRM₂ : left_module R M₂]
+  include   ringR moduleRM₁ moduleRM₂
+
+  variable  T : M₁ → M₂
+  variable  [is_linear_mapT : is_linear_map R T]
+  include   is_linear_mapT
+
+  proposition linear_map_zero : T 0 = 0 :=
+  calc
+    T 0 = T ((0 : R) • 0) : zero_smul
+    ... = (0 : R) • T 0   : linear_map_homogeneous T
+    ... = 0               : zero_smul
+
+  proposition linear_map_neg (u : M₁) : T (-u) = -(T u) :=
+  by rewrite [-neg_one_smul, linear_map_homogeneous T, neg_one_smul]
+
+  proposition linear_map_smul_add_smul (a b : R) (u v : M₁) :
+    T (a • u + b • v) = a • T u + b • T v :=
+  by rewrite [linear_map_additive R T, *linear_map_homogeneous T]
+end is_linear_map
+
+/- vector spaces -/
+
+structure vector_space [class] (F V : Type) [fieldF : field F]
+  extends left_module F V
+
+/- an example -/
+
+section
+  variables (F V : Type)
+  variables [field F] [vector_spaceFV : vector_space F V]
+  variable  T : V → V
+  variable  [is_linear_map F T]
+  include   vector_spaceFV
+
+  example (a b : F) (u v : V) : T (a • u + b • v) = a • T u + b • T v :=
+  !linear_map_smul_add_smul
+end