diff --git a/packages/verbatim/init.lua b/packages/verbatim/init.lua
index 549f1dea9..690e41a79 100644
--- a/packages/verbatim/init.lua
+++ b/packages/verbatim/init.lua
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ function package:registerCommands ()
    end)
 end
 
+function package:registerRawHandlers ()
+   self:registerRawHandler("verbatim", function (options, content)
+      SILE.call("verbatim", options, { content[1] })
+   end)
+end
+
 package.documentation = [[
 \begin{document}
 The \autodoc:package{verbatim} package is useful when quoting pieces of computer code and other text for which formatting is significant.
@@ -46,7 +52,9 @@ It changes SILE’s settings so that text is set ragged right, with no hyphenati
 It tells SILE to honor multiple spaces, and sets a monospaced font.
 
 \autodoc:note{Despite the name, \autodoc:environment{verbatim} does not alter the way that SILE sees special characters.
-You still need to escape backslashes and braces: to produce a backslash, you need to write \code{\\\\}.}
+You still need to escape backslashes and braces: to produce a backslash, you need to write \code{\\\\}.
+See the use of the \\autodoc:environment{raw} with a verbatim type handler for more literal verbatim behavior.
+}
 
 Here is some text set in the \autodoc:environment{verbatim} environment:
 
@@ -58,6 +66,7 @@ end
 \end{raw}
 
 If you want to specify what font the verbatim environment should use, you can redefine the \autodoc:command{\verbatim:font} command.
+Unless otherwise set, the default verbatim font will be \em{Hack}.
 For example you could change it from XML like this:
 
 \begin[type=autodoc:codeblock]{raw}
@@ -65,6 +74,22 @@ For example you could change it from XML like this:
    <font family="DejaVu Sans Mono" size="9pt"/>
 </define>
 \end{raw}
+
+This handles spaces, newlines, tabs and other similar whitespace literally in a way that SILE would otherwise have handled specially.
+If additionally you want to ignore nested SILE content (e.g. SIL commands in SIL) then you need to use a raw enviroment instead:
+
+\begin[type=autodoc:codeblock]{raw}
+\begin[type=verbatim]{raw}
+Sile commands like \em{emphasis} will not be intercepted.
+\end‌{raw}
+\end{raw}
+
+Displays as:
+
+\begin[type=verbatim]{raw}
+Sile commands like \em{emphasis} will not be intercepted.
+\end{raw}
+
 \end{document}
 ]]