diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2c8de16..0d7181e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -62,7 +62,48 @@ const result = deserialize(json, {
 
 Record types can be named. This is utilized by the serializer/deserializer to revive `immutable.Record` objects. See the `SampleRecord` name passed into `immutable.Record()` as the second argument.
 
-NOTE: When an unknown record type is encountered during deserialization, an error is thrown.
+### Unknown Records
+
+```javascript
+const SampleRecord = immutable.Record(
+  { 'a': 3, 'b': 4 },
+  'SampleRecord'
+)
+
+const data = {
+  'x': SampleRecord({ 'a': 5 }),
+}
+
+// Serialize
+const json = serialize(data)
+// json == '{"x":{"__record":"SampleRecord","data":{"a":5}}}'
+
+// Deserialize
+const result = deserialize(json, {
+  parseUnknownRecords: true
+})
+```
+
+```javascript
+const UnnamedRecord = immutable.Record(
+  { 'a': 3, 'b': 4 }
+)
+
+const data = {
+  'x': UnnamedRecord({ 'a': 5 }),
+}
+
+// Serialize
+const json = serialize(data)
+// json == '{"x":{"a":5}}'
+const json2 = serialize(data, { storeUnknownRecords: true })
+// json == '{"x":{"__record":"__unknown","data":{"a":5}}}'
+
+// Deserialize
+const result = deserialize(json2, {
+  parseUnknownRecords: true
+})
+```
 
 ### General Immutable Structures
 
@@ -96,6 +137,7 @@ NOTE: When an unknown Immutable iterable type is encountered during deserializat
     - `data`: The data to serialize.
     - `options={}`: Serialization options.
         - `pretty=false`: Whether to pretty-print the result (2 spaces).
+        - `storeUnknownRecords=false`: Whether to save unnamed records as objects or records
 
     Return value:
 
@@ -108,6 +150,7 @@ NOTE: When an unknown Immutable iterable type is encountered during deserializat
     - `json`: A JSON representation of data.
     - `options={}`: Deserialization options.
         - `recordTypes={}`: `immutable.Record` factories.
+        - `parseUnknownRecords=true`: deserialize unknown `immutable.Record`
 
     Return value:
 
diff --git a/src/deserialize.js b/src/deserialize.js
index 3526f25..a34fcf7 100644
--- a/src/deserialize.js
+++ b/src/deserialize.js
@@ -27,8 +27,12 @@ function revive(key, value, options) {
 
 
 function reviveRecord(key, recInfo, options) {
-  const RecordType = options.recordTypes[recInfo['__record']]
+  const RecordType = options.recordTypes && options.recordTypes[recInfo['__record']]
   if (!RecordType) {
+    if (options.parseUnknownRecords) {
+      var TmpRecordType = new immutable.Record(recInfo['data']);
+      return TmpRecordType(revive(key, recInfo['data'], options))
+    }
     throw new Error(`Unknown record type: ${recInfo['__record']}`)
   }
 
diff --git a/src/serialize.js b/src/serialize.js
index dba8ac0..d28b035 100644
--- a/src/serialize.js
+++ b/src/serialize.js
@@ -34,33 +34,34 @@ function serialize(data, options = {}) {
 
   const indentation = options.pretty ? 2 : 0
 
-  return JSON.stringify(data, replace, indentation)
+  return JSON.stringify(data, replace.bind(this, options), indentation)
 }
 
 
 function createSerializationStream(data, options = {}) {
   const indentation = options.pretty ? 2 : 0
-  const replacer = options.bigChunks ? replace : replaceAsync
+  const replacer = options.bigChunks ? replace.bind(this, options) : replaceAsync.bind(this, options)
 
   const stream = JSONStreamStringify(data, replacer, indentation)
   return stream
 }
 
 
-function replace(key, value) {
+function replace(options, key, value) {
   debug('key:', key)
   debug('value:', value)
 
   let result = value
+  const replaceBind = replace.bind(this, options)
 
   if (value instanceof immutable.Record) {
-    result = replaceRecord(value, replace)
+    result = replaceRecord(value, options, replaceBind)
   }
   else if (immutable.Iterable.isIterable(value)) {
-    result = replaceIterable(value, replace)
+    result = replaceIterable(value, replaceBind)
   }
   else if (Array.isArray(value)) {
-    result = replaceArray(value, replace)
+    result = replaceArray(value, replaceBind)
   }
   else if (nativeTypeHelpers.isDate(value)) {
     result = { '__date': value.toISOString() }
@@ -69,45 +70,46 @@ function replace(key, value) {
     result = { '__regexp': value.toString() }
   }
   else if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null) {
-    result = replacePlainObject(value, replace)
+    result = replacePlainObject(value, replaceBind)
   }
 
   debug('result:', result, '\n---')
   return result
 }
 
-function replaceAsync(key, value) {
+function replaceAsync(options, key, value) {
   debug('key:', key)
   debug('value:', value)
 
   let result = value
+  const replaceAsyncBind = replaceAsync.bind(this, options)
 
   if (!(value instanceof Promise)) {
     if (value instanceof immutable.Record) {
       result = new Promise((resolve) => {
         setImmediate(() => {
-          resolve(replaceRecord(value, replaceAsync))
+          resolve(replaceRecord(value, options, replaceAsyncBind))
         })
       })
     }
     else if (immutable.Iterable.isIterable(value)) {
       result = new Promise((resolve) => {
         setImmediate(() => {
-          resolve(replaceIterable(value, replaceAsync))
+          resolve(replaceIterable(value, replaceAsyncBind))
         })
       })
     }
     else if (Array.isArray(value)) {
       result = new Promise((resolve) => {
         setImmediate(() => {
-          resolve(replaceArray(value, replaceAsync))
+          resolve(replaceArray(value, replaceAsyncBind))
         })
       })
     }
     else if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null) {
       result = new Promise((resolve) => {
         setImmediate(() => {
-          resolve(replacePlainObject(value, replaceAsync))
+          resolve(replacePlainObject(value, replaceAsyncBind))
         })
       })
     }
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@ function replaceAsync(key, value) {
 }
 
 
-function replaceRecord(rec, replaceChild) {
+function replaceRecord(rec, options, replaceChild) {
   debug('replaceRecord()', rec)
   const recordDataMap = rec.toMap()
   const recordData = {}
@@ -127,10 +129,16 @@ function replaceRecord(rec, replaceChild) {
     recordData[key] = replaceChild(key, value)
   })
 
+  let name = rec._name
   if (!rec._name) {
-    return recordData
+
+    if (options.storeUnknownRecords) {
+      name = '__unknown'
+    } else {
+      return recordData
+    }
   }
-  return { "__record": rec._name, "data": recordData }
+  return { "__record": name, "data": recordData }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/test/deserialize/record.js b/test/deserialize/record.js
index 4293cfb..0d0a6eb 100644
--- a/test/deserialize/record.js
+++ b/test/deserialize/record.js
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ it('should deserialize a record of a known type', (test) => {
   })
 })
 
-
 it('should not deserialize a record of an unknown type', (test) => {
   const data = {
     '__record': 'SampleRecord',
@@ -43,6 +42,26 @@ it('should not deserialize a record of an unknown type', (test) => {
 })
 
 
+it('should deserialize a record of an unknown type', (test) => {
+  const data = {
+    '__record': 'SampleRecord',
+    'data': {
+      'a': 5,
+      'b': 6,
+    },
+  }
+
+  const UnknownRecord = immutable.Record({
+    'a': 1,
+    'b': 2,
+  })
+
+  helpers.testDeserialization(test, data, UnknownRecord(data['data']), {
+    recordTypes: {},
+    parseUnknownRecords: true
+  })
+})
+
 it('should deserialize nested records of known types', (test) => {
   const RecordA = immutable.Record({
     'a': 1,
@@ -77,3 +96,71 @@ it('should deserialize nested records of known types', (test) => {
     },
   })
 })
+
+
+it('should deserialize nested records of unknown and know types', (test) => {
+  const RecordA = immutable.Record({
+    'a': 1,
+    'b': 2,
+  })
+  const RecordB = immutable.Record({
+    'c': 3,
+  }, 'RecordB')
+
+  const data = {
+    '__record': 'RecordA',
+    'data': {
+      'a': 5,
+      'b': {
+        '__record': 'RecordB',
+        'data': {
+          'c': 6,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  }
+
+  const expectedResult = RecordA({
+    'a': data['data']['a'],
+    'b': RecordB(data['data']['b']['data']),
+  })
+
+  helpers.testDeserialization(test, data, expectedResult, {
+    recordTypes: {
+      'RecordB': RecordB,
+    },
+    parseUnknownRecords: true
+  })
+})
+
+it('should deserialize nested records of unknown types', (test) => {
+  const RecordA = immutable.Record({
+    'a': 1,
+    'b': 2,
+  })
+  const RecordB = immutable.Record({
+    'c': 3,
+  })
+
+  const data = {
+    '__record': 'RecordA',
+    'data': {
+      'a': 5,
+      'b': {
+        '__record': 'RecordB',
+        'data': {
+          'c': 6,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  }
+
+  const expectedResult = RecordA({
+    'a': data['data']['a'],
+    'b': RecordB(data['data']['b']['data']),
+  })
+
+  helpers.testDeserialization(test, data, expectedResult, {
+    parseUnknownRecords: true
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/serialize/_helpers.js b/test/serialize/_helpers.js
index 9ebb4df..2b5c7bf 100644
--- a/test/serialize/_helpers.js
+++ b/test/serialize/_helpers.js
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 const JsonImmutable = require('../../lib/')
 
 
-exports.testSerialization = function (test, data, expectedResult) {
-  const result = exports.getSerializationResult(data)
+exports.testSerialization = function (test, data, expectedResult, options) {
+  const result = exports.getSerializationResult(data, options)
   test.deepEqual(result, expectedResult)
 }
 
-exports.getSerializationResult = function (data) {
-  const json = JsonImmutable.serialize(data)
+exports.getSerializationResult = function (data, options) {
+  const json = JsonImmutable.serialize(data, options)
   return JSON.parse(json)
 }
diff --git a/test/serialize/record.js b/test/serialize/record.js
index 3ffbcf9..897ae82 100644
--- a/test/serialize/record.js
+++ b/test/serialize/record.js
@@ -47,6 +47,20 @@ it('should serialize an unnamed immutable.Record as a plain object',
   })
 })
 
+it('should serialize an unnamed immutable.Record as a Record',
+    (test) => {
+      const SampleRecord = immutable.Record({
+        'a': 5,
+        'b': 6,
+      })
+
+      const data = SampleRecord()
+      const result = helpers.getSerializationResult(data, { storeUnknownRecords: true })
+
+      test.is(result['__record'], '__unknown')
+      test.truthy(result['data'])
+    })
+
 
 it('should serialize a named immutable.Record data as a plain object',
     (test) => {