diff --git a/README.adoc b/README.adoc
index 584973a..2c569cf 100644
--- a/README.adoc
+++ b/README.adoc
@@ -95,6 +95,9 @@ keep the cursor visible.
 * Cut/copy/paste of clipboard data, including conversion between rich text and
 HTML.
 
+* Focus/blur support with appropriate styling for cursors (invisible) and
+selections (gray).
+
 * Cursor user identification via color and tag (TODO).
 
 * Figures and tables (TODO).
diff --git a/src/components/Editor.js b/src/components/Editor.js
index d73602a..4ef21c1 100644
--- a/src/components/Editor.js
+++ b/src/components/Editor.js
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ export default React.createClass({
     minFontSize: T.number.isRequired,
     unitsPerEm: T.number.isRequired,
     width: T.number.isRequired,
-    margin: T.number.isRequired
+    margin: T.number.isRequired,
+    initialFocus: T.bool
   },
 
   //mixins: [React.addons.PureRenderMixin],
diff --git a/src/components/EditorContents.js b/src/components/EditorContents.js
index 2cc185a..ee61d0f 100644
--- a/src/components/EditorContents.js
+++ b/src/components/EditorContents.js
@@ -34,11 +34,18 @@ export default React.createClass({
     minFontSize: T.number.isRequired,
     unitsPerEm: T.number.isRequired,
     width: T.number.isRequired,
-    margin: T.number.isRequired
+    margin: T.number.isRequired,
+    initialFocus: T.bool
   },
 
   mixins: [TextReplicaMixin],
 
+  getDefaultProps() {
+    return {
+      initialFocus: true
+    }
+  },
+
   getInitialState() {
     return EditorStore.getState()
   },
@@ -58,7 +65,6 @@ export default React.createClass({
   componentDidMount() {
     this.clickCount = 0
     EditorStore.listen(this.onStateChange)
-    this.refs.input.focus()
   },
 
   componentDidUpdate() {
@@ -115,7 +121,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
   },
 
   _doOnSingleClick(e) {
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
 
     let coordinates = this._mouseEventToCoordinates(e)
     if(!coordinates) {
@@ -169,12 +175,18 @@ export default React.createClass({
 
   // DEBUGGING ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+  _dumpState() {
+    console.debug('Current state contents (NOTE: state.focus always false due to debug button click):')
+    console.dir(this.state)
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
+  },
+
   _dumpReplica() {
     let text = this.replica.getTextRange(BASE_CHAR)
     console.debug('Current replica text: [' + text.map(c => c.char).join('') + ']')
     console.debug('Current replica contents:')
     console.dir(text)
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _dumpPosition() {
@@ -183,7 +195,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
     } else {
       console.debug('No active position')
     }
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _dumpCurrentLine() {
@@ -214,7 +226,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
         console.debug('No lines')
       }
     })
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _dumpLines() {
@@ -223,7 +235,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
     } else {
       console.debug('No lines')
     }
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _dumpSelection() {
@@ -237,17 +249,17 @@ export default React.createClass({
     } else {
       console.debug('No active selection')
     }
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _forceFlow() {
     EditorActions.replicaUpdated()
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _forceRender() {
     this.forceUpdate(() => console.debug('Render done.'))
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   _togglePositionEolStart() {
@@ -257,7 +269,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
       console.debug('Toggling positionEolStart from ' + previous + ' to ' + !previous)
       return { positionEolStart: !previous }
     })
-    this.refs.input.focus()
+    EditorActions.focusInput()
   },
 
   // RENDERING ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -283,9 +295,24 @@ export default React.createClass({
 
     let selectionDiv = (leftX, widthX) => {
       let height = Math.round(lineHeight * 10) / 10
+      let selectionStyle = {
+        top: 0,
+        left: leftX,
+        width: widthX,
+        height: height
+      }
+
+      if(!this.state.focus) {
+        selectionStyle.borderTopColor = 'rgb(0, 0, 0)'
+        selectionStyle.borderBottomColor = 'rgb(0, 0, 0)'
+        selectionStyle.backgroundColor = 'rgb(0, 0, 0)'
+        selectionStyle.opacity = 0.15
+        selectionStyle.color = 'black'
+      }
+
       return (
         <div className="text-selection-overlay text-htmloverlay ui-unprintable text-htmloverlay-under-text"
-          style={{top: 0, left: leftX, width: widthX, height: height}}></div>
+          style={selectionStyle}></div>
       )
     }
 
@@ -457,7 +484,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
     let position = cursorPosition ? cursorPosition.top : 0
 
     return (
-      <TextInput id={this.props.id} ref="input" position={position}/>
+      <TextInput id={this.props.id} ref="input" position={position} focused={this.state.focus}/>
     )
   },
 
@@ -484,7 +511,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
       top: cursorPosition.top
     }
 
-    if (this.state.selectionActive) {
+    if (this.state.selectionActive || !this.state.focus) {
       cursorStyle.opacity = 0
       cursorStyle.visibility = 'hidden'
     } else {
@@ -528,6 +555,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
         {/*
         <div style={{position: 'relative', zIndex: 100, paddingTop: 30}}>
           <span>Dump:&nbsp;</span>
+          <button onClick={this._dumpState}>State</button>&nbsp;
           <button onClick={this._dumpReplica}>Replica</button>&nbsp;
           <button onClick={this._dumpPosition}>Position</button>&nbsp;
           <button onClick={this._dumpCurrentLine}>Line</button>&nbsp;
diff --git a/src/components/TextInput.js b/src/components/TextInput.js
index ca0e14a..1468d2a 100644
--- a/src/components/TextInput.js
+++ b/src/components/TextInput.js
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ const ALL_CHARS = [
 export default React.createClass({
   propTypes: {
     id: T.number.isRequired,
-    position: T.number.isRequired
+    position: T.number.isRequired,
+    focused: T.bool.isRequired
   },
 
   mixins: [React.addons.PureRenderMixin],
@@ -86,11 +87,15 @@ export default React.createClass({
     keyBindings.bind('alt+shift+5', this._handleKeyStrikethrough)
     keyBindings.bind('ctrl+.', this._handleKeySuperscript)
     keyBindings.bind('ctrl+,', this._handleKeySubscript)
+  },
 
-    // TODO figure out tab, enter, return, pageup, pagedown, end, home, ins
+  componentDidUpdate() {
+    if(this.props.focused) {
+      this._focus()
+    }
   },
 
-  focus() {
+  _focus() {
     this._checkEmptyValue()
     this.input.focus()
 
@@ -291,6 +296,10 @@ export default React.createClass({
     return false
   },
 
+  _onInputFocusLost() {
+    EditorActions.inputFocusLost()
+  },
+
   _onCopy(e) {
     let selectionChunks = EditorActions.getSelection()
 
@@ -327,7 +336,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
     this._selectNodeContents(this.ieClipboardDiv)
     setTimeout(() => {
       emptyNode(this.ieClipboardDiv)
-      this.focus()
+      this._focus()
     }, 0)
   },
 
@@ -376,7 +385,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
         EditorActions.insertCharsBatch(pastedChunks)
       } finally {
         emptyNode(this.ieClipboardDiv)
-        this.focus()
+        this._focus()
       }
     }, 0)
   },
@@ -406,7 +415,7 @@ export default React.createClass({
     return (
       <div style={divStyle}>
         <textarea key="input" ref="input" onInput={this._onInput}
-          onCopy={this._onCopy} onCut={this._onCut} onPaste={this._onPaste}/>
+          onCopy={this._onCopy} onCut={this._onCut} onPaste={this._onPaste} onBlur={this._onInputFocusLost}/>
         <div style={{display: 'none'}} ref="hiddenContainer"></div>
         <div contentEditable="true" ref="ieClipboardDiv" onPaste={this._onPaste}></div>
       </div>
diff --git a/src/flux/EditorActions.js b/src/flux/EditorActions.js
index c24e2d2..72ecad8 100644
--- a/src/flux/EditorActions.js
+++ b/src/flux/EditorActions.js
@@ -12,6 +12,14 @@ class EditorActions {
     this.dispatch()
   }
 
+  focusInput() {
+    this.dispatch()
+  }
+
+  inputFocusLost() {
+    this.dispatch()
+  }
+
   // navigation actions
   navigateLeft() {
     this.dispatch()
diff --git a/src/flux/EditorStore.js b/src/flux/EditorStore.js
index 3e4fb8d..1b6aaaf 100644
--- a/src/flux/EditorStore.js
+++ b/src/flux/EditorStore.js
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ class EditorStore {
       position: BASE_CHAR,
       positionEolStart: true,
       cursorMotion: false,
-      selectionActive: false
+      selectionActive: false,
+      focus: false
     }
   }
 
@@ -37,12 +38,23 @@ class EditorStore {
     TextFontMetrics.setConfig(config)
     this.config = config
     this.replica = replica
+
+    this.setState({focus: config.initialFocus})
   }
 
   replicaUpdated() {
     this._flow()
   }
 
+  focusInput() {
+    this._delayedCursorBlink(0)
+    this.setState({focus: true})
+  }
+
+  inputFocusLost() {
+    this.setState({focus: false})
+  }
+
   navigateLeft() {
     this._navigateLeftRight(-1)
   }
@@ -736,7 +748,9 @@ class EditorStore {
     this._setPosition(BASE_CHAR)
   }
 
-  _delayedCursorBlink() {
+  _delayedCursorBlink(timeout) {
+    if(_.isUndefined(timeout)) timeout = 1000
+
     this.setState({cursorMotion: true})
 
     // in a second, reset the cursor blink, clear any previous resets to avoid unnecessary state changes
@@ -746,7 +760,7 @@ class EditorStore {
     this.cursorMotionTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
       this.setState({cursorMotion: false})
       this.cursorMotionTimeout = null
-    }, 1000)
+    }, timeout)
   }
 
   _lastLine() {