diff --git a/src/job.rs b/src/job.rs
index ee7f605..c03171a 100644
--- a/src/job.rs
+++ b/src/job.rs
@@ -104,6 +104,22 @@ impl Read for Job
     }
 }
 
+/// Create a job description for this opened input
+///
+/// `sz` is the offset of the *end* of the last job. (or 0 for the first).
+/// `sz` is then updated with this file's size for this method to be used again on the next file.
+pub fn create(file_num: usize, open::Input(file, stat): open::Input, sz: &mut usize) -> Prelude
+{
+    let offset = *sz;
+    
+    let prelude = Prelude {
+	file, stat, offset, file_num
+    };
+    *sz += prelude.len();
+
+    prelude
+}
+
 /// Create a job description for this file.
 ///
 /// `sz` is the offset of the *end* of the last job. (or 0 for the first).
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 1246355..ec910e1 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ mod map;
 mod job;
 mod work;
 mod arg;
+
 mod open;
 
 mod consts;
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ fn work(arg::Operation{output, inputs}: arg::Operation) -> Result<(), Box<dyn st
     //  - create and open output file
     let output = open::output(output)?;
     //  - open and stat all input files in order (`job::create_from_file`).
+    let inputs = open::input(inputs)?;
     //  - `fallocate` the output file fd to the sum of all input file sizes
     
     //  - `mmap` the output file as writable
diff --git a/src/open.rs b/src/open.rs
index 1c60e14..9ad7f2b 100644
--- a/src/open.rs
+++ b/src/open.rs
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ impl Output
 	.create(true)
 	.write(true)
 	.read(true)
-	//.truncate(true) //TODO: Remove this, and truncate any excess space that may exist from a clobbered previous file at the end
+    //.truncate(true) //TODO: Remove this, and truncate any excess space that may exist from a clobbered previous file at the end
 	.open(path)
 	
 	.map(Output)
@@ -102,3 +102,81 @@ impl fmt::Display for OutputError
 }
 
 
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct Input(pub File, pub fs::Metadata);
+
+impl Input
+{
+    fn try_from_file(file: File) -> Result<Self,InputError>
+    {
+	let stat = file.metadata().map_err(InputError::Stat)?;
+	Ok(Self(file,stat))
+    }
+
+    /// Open an input file
+    pub fn open(filename: impl AsRef<Path>) -> Result<Self, InputError>
+    {
+	let file = fs::OpenOptions::new()
+	    .read(true)
+	    .open(filename).map_err(InputError::Open)?;
+
+	Self::try_from_file(file)
+    }
+}
+
+/// Open all these inputs and return them.
+///
+/// If one or more fail, then the operation will terminate early and return the error.
+pub fn input<U: AsRef<Path> + fmt::Debug, I>(inputs: I) -> Result<Vec<Input>, InputError<U>>
+where I: IntoIterator<Item = U>
+{
+    let inputs = inputs.into_iter();
+    let mut outputs = {
+	match inputs.size_hint() {
+	    (0, Some(0)) => Vec::default(),
+	    (0, None) => Vec::new(),
+	    (_, Some(x)) | (x, None) => Vec::with_capacity(x),
+	}
+    };
+    for input in inputs
+    {
+	outputs.push(Input::open(&input)
+		     .map_err(move |inner| InputError::WithData(Box::new(inner), input))?);
+    }
+    Ok(outputs)
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+    #[non_exhaustive]
+pub enum InputError<T = std::convert::Infallible>
+where T: fmt::Debug
+{
+    Open(io::Error),
+    Stat(io::Error),
+
+    WithData(Box<InputError>, T),
+}
+impl<T> error::Error for InputError<T>
+where T: fmt::Debug
+{
+    fn source(&self) -> Option<&(dyn error::Error + 'static)>
+    {
+	match &self {
+	    Self::Open(io) | Self::Stat(io) => Some(io),
+	    Self::WithData(inner, _) => inner.source(),
+	}
+    }
+}
+impl<T> fmt::Display for InputError<T>
+where T: fmt::Debug
+{
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result
+    {
+	match self {
+	    Self::Open(io) => write!(f, "failed to open file for reading: {}", io),
+	    Self::Stat(io) => write!(f, "failed to stat file: {}", io),
+	    Self::WithData(inner, msg) => write!(f, "for {:?}: {}", msg, inner),
+	}
+    }
+}
+