diff --git a/icartt/icartt.py b/icartt/icartt.py
index faf3f5501a2d833225be3c0d052539711fe5251b..fef1d2e23bf433005efd7535e51d0a0211bd26fd 100644
--- a/icartt/icartt.py
+++ b/icartt/icartt.py
@@ -174,6 +174,26 @@ def read(ict_file):
 
     return(out)
 
+def read_first_and_last(ict_file):
+
+    out = read_header(ict_file)
+
+    f = open( ict_file, 'r' )
+
+    nul = [f.readline() for i in xrange(out['nheader'])]
+
+    def nan_miss_float(raw, vmiss):
+        return [ float(x.replace(vmiss[i], 'NaN')) for i, x in enumerate(raw) ]
+
+    out['data']  = [ nan_miss_float(f.readline().split(','), out['vmiss']) ]
+    for line in f:
+        pass
+    last = line
+    out['data'] += [ nan_miss_float(last.split(','), out['vmiss']) ]
+
+    f.close()
+
+    return(out)