--- a
+++ b/src/readImage.cxx
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+#include <nanobind/nanobind.h>
+#include <nanobind/stl/vector.h>
+#include <nanobind/stl/string.h>
+#include <nanobind/stl/tuple.h>
+#include <nanobind/ndarray.h>
+
+#include <tuple>
+#include "itkImageFileWriter.h"
+#include "itkImageIOBase.h"
+#include "itkNiftiImageIOFactory.h"
+#include "itkMetaImageIOFactory.h"
+#include "itkImageFileReader.h"
+#include "itkImage.h"
+#include "itkPyBuffer.h"
+
+#include "readImage.h"
+#include "antsImage.h"
+
+
+namespace nb = nanobind;
+using namespace nb::literals;
+
+
+template <typename ImageType>
+AntsImage<ImageType> imageRead( std::string filename )
+{
+    typedef typename ImageType::Pointer           ImagePointerType;
+    typedef itk::ImageFileReader< ImageType >     ImageReaderType;
+
+    typename ImageReaderType::Pointer image_reader = ImageReaderType::New() ;
+    image_reader->SetFileName( filename.c_str() ) ;
+    image_reader->Update();
+
+    ImagePointerType itkImage = image_reader->GetOutput();
+    AntsImage<ImageType> myImage = { itkImage };
+    return myImage;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Create an ANTsImage from a numpy array
+ *
+ * The data array must be C-contiguous, and ordered correctly
+ * See "4.1.7 Importing Image Data from a Buffer"
+ * https://itk.org/ITKSoftwareGuide/html/Book1/ITKSoftwareGuide-Book1ch4.html
+ */
+template <typename ImageType>
+AntsImage<ImageType> fromNumpy( nb::ndarray<nb::numpy> data, nb::tuple datashape )
+{
+    typedef typename ImageType::Pointer ImagePointerType;
+    ImagePointerType antsImage = ImageType::New();
+    typedef itk::PyBuffer<ImageType> PyBufferType;
+
+    nb::object o = nb::cast(data);
+    antsImage = PyBufferType::_GetImageViewFromArray(o.ptr(), datashape.ptr(), nb::make_tuple(1)[0].ptr());
+
+    AntsImage<ImageType> myImage = { antsImage };
+    return myImage;
+}
+
+
+void local_readImage(nb::module_ &m) {
+
+    m.def("imageReadUC2", &imageRead<itk::Image<unsigned char,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadUC3", &imageRead<itk::Image<unsigned char,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadUC4", &imageRead<itk::Image<unsigned char,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadUI2", &imageRead<itk::Image<unsigned int,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadUI3", &imageRead<itk::Image<unsigned int,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadUI4", &imageRead<itk::Image<unsigned int,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadF2", &imageRead<itk::Image<float,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadF3", &imageRead<itk::Image<float,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadF4", &imageRead<itk::Image<float,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadD2", &imageRead<itk::Image<double,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadD3", &imageRead<itk::Image<double,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadD4", &imageRead<itk::Image<double,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVUC2", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<unsigned char,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVUC3", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<unsigned char,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVUC4", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<unsigned char,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVUI2", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<unsigned int,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVUI3", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<unsigned int,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVUI4", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<unsigned int,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVF2", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<float,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVF3", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<float,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVF4", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<float,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVD2", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<double,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVD3", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<double,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadVD4", &imageRead<itk::VectorImage<double,4>>);
+    m.def("imageReadRGBUC2", &imageRead<itk::Image<itk::RGBPixel<unsigned char>,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadRGBUC3", &imageRead<itk::Image<itk::RGBPixel<unsigned char>,3>>);
+    m.def("imageReadRGBF2", &imageRead<itk::Image<itk::RGBPixel<float>,2>>);
+    m.def("imageReadRGBF3", &imageRead<itk::Image<itk::RGBPixel<float>,3>>);
+
+
+    m.def("fromNumpyUC2", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<unsigned char,2>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyUC3", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<unsigned char,3>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyUC4", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<unsigned char,4>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyUI2", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<unsigned int,2>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyUI3", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<unsigned int,3>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyUI4", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<unsigned int,4>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyF2", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<float,2>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyF3", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<float,3>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyF4", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<float,4>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyD2", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<double,2>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyD3", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<double,3>>);
+    m.def("fromNumpyD4", &fromNumpy<itk::Image<double,4>>);
+}
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