diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c76073b..44b8bb1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -192,7 +192,9 @@ file time as its date, and is then encrypted (name it with lower-case letters, n
   built for millions.
 - Pages are only reloaded from disk when Mako starts.
 - Live preview works a line at a time (a code block counts as one), so a table or a quote spread over
-  several lines shows rendered line by line. View shows the whole page as one.
+  several lines shows rendered line by line. View shows the whole page as one. Selecting across lines
+  (Ctrl+A, Shift+Up or Down, Shift+click, or dragging) opens those whole lines as raw markdown, so a
+  selection that starts or ends partway through a line takes in the whole line.
 
 ## Design
 
diff --git a/internal/web/static/editor.js b/internal/web/static/editor.js
index 4c3d0f1..a93b372 100644
--- a/internal/web/static/editor.js
+++ b/internal/web/static/editor.js
@@ -152,7 +152,9 @@ function enhance(ta, wrap) {
 // conflicts and the other modes need to know nothing about it. A fenced code block is edited as a whole.
 function makeLive(ta) {
   const el = h('div', { class: 'live', hidden: true });
-  let lines = [], act = null; // act: the block starting at line s is being edited, caret at col
+  // act: the block starting at line s is being edited, caret at col. With e set, lines s to e are edited
+  // together as raw text (a selection across lines), and sel is [start, end, direction] inside them.
+  let lines = [], act = null;
 
   function blocks() {
     const out = [];
@@ -177,10 +179,48 @@ function makeLive(ta) {
       if (m) root.querySelector('ol')?.setAttribute('start', m[1]);
       box.append(root);
     }
-    box.addEventListener('click', e => { if (!e.target.closest('a,input,button') && !inSelection()) activate(b.s, Infinity, true); });
+    box.dataset.s = b.s; box.dataset.e = b.e;
+    box.addEventListener('click', e => {
+      if (e.target.closest('a,input,button')) return;
+      if (e.shiftKey && reach(b)) return;
+      if (!inSelection()) activate(b.s, Infinity, true);
+    });
     return box;
   }
 
+  // span edits lines s to e as one piece of raw text, so selecting, deleting and Ctrl+Backspace work across lines
+  function span(s, e, sel) {
+    lines = ta.value.split('\n');
+    act = { s, e, sel, focus: true };
+    draw();
+  }
+  // reach extends the selection being edited to a line that was shift-clicked
+  function reach(b) {
+    const t = el.querySelector('.live-edit');
+    if (!act || !t) return false;
+    const to = act.e ?? blockAt(act.s).e, back = t.selectionDirection === 'backward';
+    const a = back ? t.selectionEnd : t.selectionStart;
+    if (b.s > to) span(act.s, b.e, [a, lines.slice(act.s, b.e + 1).join('\n').length, 'forward']);
+    else if (b.e < act.s) span(b.s, to, [0, a + lines.slice(b.s, act.s).join('\n').length + 1, 'backward']);
+    else return false;
+    return true;
+  }
+  // grab turns lines selected with the mouse into one raw editor holding exactly those lines
+  function grab() {
+    const sel = getSelection();
+    if (el.hidden || !sel || sel.isCollapsed || !sel.rangeCount) return;
+    const hit = [...el.querySelectorAll('.live-line')].filter(x => sel.containsNode(x, true));
+    if (hit.length < 2) return;
+    const s = Math.min(...hit.map(x => +x.dataset.s)), e = Math.max(...hit.map(x => +x.dataset.e));
+    lines = ta.value.split('\n');
+    span(s, e, [0, lines.slice(s, e + 1).join('\n').length, 'forward']);
+  }
+  const onUp = () => {
+    if (!el.isConnected) { document.removeEventListener('mouseup', onUp); return; }
+    setTimeout(grab, 0);
+  };
+  document.addEventListener('mouseup', onUp);
+
   function merge(at, col) {
     const len = lines[at].length;
     lines.splice(at, 2, lines[at] + lines[at + 1]);
@@ -192,12 +232,14 @@ function makeLive(ta) {
     const t = h('textarea', { class: 'live-edit', rows: 1, spellcheck: 'true', 'aria-label': 'Editing', placeholder: empty ? "Write something, or type '/' for commands, '[[' to link a page" : '' });
     t.value = lines.slice(b.s, b.e + 1).join('\n');
     enhance(t, el);
+    const multi = b.fence || b.span; // a code block or a selection over lines: Enter just adds a line
     t.addEventListener('input', () => {
       const fresh = t.value.split('\n');
       lines.splice(b.s, b.e - b.s + 1, ...fresh);
       b.e = b.s + fresh.length - 1;
+      if (b.span && act) act.e = b.e;
       commit();
-      if (!b.fence && fresh.length > 1) { // Enter: the line above is finished, the new one is being edited
+      if (!multi && fresh.length > 1) { // Enter: the line above is finished, the new one is being edited
         const before = t.value.slice(0, t.selectionStart);
         place(b.s + before.split('\n').length - 1, before.length - before.lastIndexOf('\n') - 1, true);
         draw();
@@ -206,34 +248,76 @@ function makeLive(ta) {
     t.addEventListener('keydown', e => {
       if (e.isComposing) return;
       if (e.key === 'Escape' && !e.defaultPrevented) { t.blur(); return; }
-      if (e.defaultPrevented || e.shiftKey || e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey || e.altKey || t.selectionStart !== t.selectionEnd) return;
+      if (e.defaultPrevented) return;
+      const cmd = e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey;
+      if (extend(e, t, b, cmd)) return;
+      const word = cmd && !e.shiftKey && !e.altKey && (e.key === 'Backspace' || e.key === 'Delete'); // joins lines like Backspace does
+      if (e.shiftKey || (cmd && !word) || e.altKey || t.selectionStart !== t.selectionEnd) return;
       const v = t.value, p = t.selectionStart, here = caretXY(t, p), lh = here.lh;
-      const firstRow = here.y < lh * 0.5, lastRow = caretXY(t, v.length).y - here.y < lh * 0.5, col = b.fence ? 0 : p;
+      const firstRow = here.y < lh * 0.5, lastRow = caretXY(t, v.length).y - here.y < lh * 0.5, col = multi ? 0 : p;
       if (e.key === 'ArrowUp' && firstRow && b.s > 0) { e.preventDefault(); activate(b.s - 1, col, true); }
       else if (e.key === 'ArrowDown' && lastRow && b.e < lines.length - 1) { e.preventDefault(); activate(b.e + 1, col, true); }
       else if (e.key === 'ArrowLeft' && p === 0 && b.s > 0) { e.preventDefault(); activate(b.s - 1, Infinity, true); }
       else if (e.key === 'ArrowRight' && p === v.length && b.e < lines.length - 1) { e.preventDefault(); activate(b.e + 1, 0, true); }
       else if (e.key === 'Backspace' && p === 0 && b.s > 0) {
         e.preventDefault();
-        if (b.fence || blockAt(b.s - 1).fence) activate(b.s - 1, Infinity, true); else merge(b.s - 1);
+        if (multi || blockAt(b.s - 1).fence) activate(b.s - 1, Infinity, true); else merge(b.s - 1);
       } else if (e.key === 'Delete' && p === v.length && b.e < lines.length - 1) {
         e.preventDefault();
-        if (b.fence || blockAt(b.e + 1).fence) activate(b.e + 1, 0, true); else merge(b.s);
+        if (multi || blockAt(b.e + 1).fence) activate(b.e + 1, 0, true); else merge(b.s);
       }
     });
     t.addEventListener('blur', () => setTimeout(() => { if (act && !el.contains(document.activeElement)) { act = null; draw(); } }, 0));
     return t;
   }
 
+  // extend turns Ctrl+A and Shift+Up or Down past the edge of a line into a selection over several lines
+  function extend(e, t, b, cmd) {
+    const v = t.value;
+    if (cmd && !e.altKey && !e.shiftKey && e.key.toLowerCase() === 'a') {
+      if (b.s === 0 && b.e === lines.length - 1) return false; // already everything: the browser selects it
+      e.preventDefault(); span(0, lines.length - 1, [0, lines.join('\n').length, 'forward']);
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (!e.shiftKey || cmd || e.altKey || (e.key !== 'ArrowUp' && e.key !== 'ArrowDown')) return false;
+    const back = t.selectionDirection === 'backward';
+    const a = back ? t.selectionEnd : t.selectionStart, f = back ? t.selectionStart : t.selectionEnd;
+    const here = caretXY(t, f), col = f - (v.lastIndexOf('\n', f - 1) + 1);
+    if (e.key === 'ArrowUp' && here.y < here.lh * 0.5 && b.s > 0) {
+      const nb = blockAt(b.s - 1), add = lines.slice(nb.s, b.s).join('\n').length + 1;
+      e.preventDefault();
+      span(nb.s, b.e, [nb.fence ? 0 : Math.min(col, lines[nb.s].length), a + add, 'backward']);
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (e.key === 'ArrowDown' && caretXY(t, v.length).y - here.y < here.lh * 0.5 && b.e < lines.length - 1) {
+      const nb = blockAt(b.e + 1), at = v.length + 1;
+      e.preventDefault();
+      span(b.s, nb.e, [a, nb.fence ? at + lines.slice(nb.s, nb.e + 1).join('\n').length : at + Math.min(col, lines[nb.s].length), 'forward']);
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
   function draw() {
     lines = ta.value.split('\n');
-    fill(el, blocks().map(b => act && act.s === b.s ? editor(b) : rendered(b)), h('div', { class: 'live-tail', onclick: () => activate(lines.length - 1, Infinity, true) }));
+    const kids = [];
+    let placed = false;
+    for (const b of blocks()) {
+      if (act && act.e != null && b.e >= act.s && b.s <= act.e) { // lines edited together
+        if (!placed) kids.push(editor({ s: act.s, e: Math.min(act.e, lines.length - 1), fence: false, span: true }));
+        placed = true;
+      } else if (act && act.e == null && act.s === b.s) kids.push(editor(b));
+      else kids.push(rendered(b));
+    }
+    fill(el, kids, h('div', { class: 'live-tail', onclick: () => activate(lines.length - 1, Infinity, true) }));
     const t = el.querySelector('.live-edit');
     if (!t) return;
     t.style.height = 'auto'; t.style.height = t.scrollHeight + 'px';
     if (act.focus) {
-      const c = Math.min(act.col, t.value.length);
-      t.focus(); t.setSelectionRange(c, c); t.scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest' });
+      t.focus();
+      if (act.sel) t.setSelectionRange(...act.sel);
+      else { const c = Math.min(act.col, t.value.length); t.setSelectionRange(c, c); }
+      t.scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest' });
       act.focus = false;
     }
   }