diff --git a/awkward/array/base.py b/awkward/array/base.py
index 532243e9..fed473f9 100644
--- a/awkward/array/base.py
+++ b/awkward/array/base.py
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class AwkwardArray(awkward.util.NDArrayOperatorsMixin):
+    """
+    AwkwardArray: abstract base class
+    """
+
     def __array__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         # hitting this function is usually undesirable; uncomment to search for performance bugs
         # raise Exception("{0} {1}".format(args, kwargs))
@@ -187,6 +191,10 @@ def minby(self, function):
             return self[function(*args, **kwargs).argmin()]
 
 class AwkwardArrayWithContent(AwkwardArray):
+    """
+    AwkwardArrayWithContent: abstract base class
+    """
+
     def __setitem__(self, where, what):
         if isinstance(where, awkward.util.string):
             self._content[where] = what
diff --git a/awkward/array/chunked.py b/awkward/array/chunked.py
index fecde3e3..9fa37caf 100644
--- a/awkward/array/chunked.py
+++ b/awkward/array/chunked.py
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class ChunkedArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArray):
+    """
+    ChunkedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, chunks, counts=[]):
         self.chunks = chunks
         self.counts = counts
@@ -610,6 +614,10 @@ def pandas(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
 class AppendableArray(ChunkedArray):
+    """
+    AppendableArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, chunkshape, dtype, chunks=[]):
         self.chunkshape = chunkshape
         self.dtype = dtype
diff --git a/awkward/array/indexed.py b/awkward/array/indexed.py
index efa8f425..a90702fa 100644
--- a/awkward/array/indexed.py
+++ b/awkward/array/indexed.py
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ def invert(permutation):
     return out
 
 class IndexedArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArrayWithContent):
+    """
+    IndexedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, index, content):
         self.index = index
         self.content = content
@@ -204,6 +208,10 @@ def pandas(self):
             return self._content[self._index].pandas()
 
 class ByteIndexedArray(IndexedArray):
+    """
+    ByteIndexedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, index, content, dtype):
         super(ByteIndexedArray, self).__init__(index, content)
         self.dtype = dtype
@@ -363,6 +371,10 @@ def pandas(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
 class SparseArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArrayWithContent):
+    """
+    SparseArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, length, index, content, default=None):
         self.length = length
         self.index = index
diff --git a/awkward/array/jagged.py b/awkward/array/jagged.py
index b08f1e4b..888adce8 100644
--- a/awkward/array/jagged.py
+++ b/awkward/array/jagged.py
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ def uniques2offsetsparents(uniques):
     return offsets, parents
 
 class JaggedArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArrayWithContent):
+    """
+    JaggedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, starts, stops, content):
         self.starts = starts
         self.stops = stops
@@ -1089,6 +1093,10 @@ def pandas(self):
         return out
 
 class ByteJaggedArray(JaggedArray):
+    """
+    ByteJaggedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, starts, stops, content, subdtype):
         super(ByteJaggedArray, self).__init__(starts, stops, content)
         self.subdtype = subdtype
diff --git a/awkward/array/masked.py b/awkward/array/masked.py
index 5d225d05..e470100b 100644
--- a/awkward/array/masked.py
+++ b/awkward/array/masked.py
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class MaskedArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArrayWithContent):
+    """
+    MaskedArray
+    """
+
     ### WTF were the designers of numpy.ma thinking?
     # @staticmethod
     # def is_masked(x):
@@ -278,6 +282,10 @@ def pandas(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
 class BitMaskedArray(MaskedArray):
+    """
+    BitMaskedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, mask, content, maskedwhen=True, lsborder=False):
         super(BitMaskedArray, self).__init__(mask, content, maskedwhen=maskedwhen)
         self.lsborder = lsborder
@@ -505,6 +513,10 @@ def pandas(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
 class IndexedMaskedArray(MaskedArray):
+    """
+    IndexedMaskedArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, mask, content, maskedwhen=-1):
         super(IndexedMaskedArray, self).__init__(mask, content, maskedwhen=maskedwhen)
         self._isvalid = False
diff --git a/awkward/array/objects.py b/awkward/array/objects.py
index 53566883..31fd10ce 100644
--- a/awkward/array/objects.py
+++ b/awkward/array/objects.py
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class Methods(object):
+    """
+    Methods: abstract mix-in
+    """
+
     @staticmethod
     def mixin(methods, awkwardtype):
         assert issubclass(methods, Methods)
@@ -55,6 +59,10 @@ def maybemixin(sample, awkwardtype):
             return awkwardtype
 
 class ObjectArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArrayWithContent):
+    """
+    ObjectArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, content, generator, args=(), kwargs={}):
         self.content = content
         self.generator = generator
diff --git a/awkward/array/table.py b/awkward/array/table.py
index 5e4e690d..753accec 100644
--- a/awkward/array/table.py
+++ b/awkward/array/table.py
@@ -35,9 +35,17 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class Table(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArray):
+    """
+    Table
+    """
+
     ##################### class Row
 
     class Row(object):
+        """
+        Table.Row
+        """
+
         __slots__ = ["_table", "_index"]
 
         def __init__(self, table, index):
diff --git a/awkward/array/union.py b/awkward/array/union.py
index e4c4c735..0be9f873 100644
--- a/awkward/array/union.py
+++ b/awkward/array/union.py
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class UnionArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArray):
+    """
+    UnionArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, tags, index, contents):
         self.tags = tags
         self.index = index
diff --git a/awkward/array/virtual.py b/awkward/array/virtual.py
index 38be4711..78febb5e 100644
--- a/awkward/array/virtual.py
+++ b/awkward/array/virtual.py
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@
 import awkward.util
 
 class VirtualArray(awkward.array.base.AwkwardArray):
+    """
+    VirtualArray
+    """
+
     class TransientKey(object):
         def __init__(self, id):
             self._id = id
diff --git a/awkward/derived/strings.py b/awkward/derived/strings.py
index d3a0c276..ab1798c1 100644
--- a/awkward/derived/strings.py
+++ b/awkward/derived/strings.py
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 import awkward.array.objects
 
 class StringMethods(object):
+    """
+    StringMethods
+    """
+
     def __array_ufunc__(self, ufunc, method, *inputs, **kwargs):
         if method != "__call__":
             raise NotImplemented
@@ -90,6 +94,10 @@ def tostring(x, decoder):
         return decoder(x, errors="replace")[0]
 
 class StringArray(StringMethods, awkward.array.objects.ObjectArray):
+    """
+    StringArray
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, starts, stops, content, encoding="utf-8"):
         self._content = awkward.array.jagged.ByteJaggedArray(starts, stops, content, awkward.util.CHARTYPE)
         self._generator = tostring