diff --git a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReader.java b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReader.java
index 91f3104e3..8935f415a 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReader.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReader.java
@@ -340,12 +340,7 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 			return false;
 		}
 
-		Iterator<Object> iterator = collection.iterator();
-		TypeInformation<?> componentType = iterator.hasNext() ? //
-				ClassTypeInformation.from(iterator.next().getClass()) : //
-				collectionType.getComponentType();
-
-		return handleArrayNode((ArrayNode) node, collection, mapper, componentType);
+		return handleArrayNode((ArrayNode) node, collection, mapper, collectionType.getComponentType());
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -373,8 +368,7 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 
 			if (!value.hasNext()) {
 
-				Class<?> type = componentType == null ? Object.class : componentType.getType();
-				collection.add(mapper.treeToValue(jsonNode, type));
+				collection.add(mapper.treeToValue(jsonNode, getTypeToMap(null, componentType).getType()));
 
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -382,7 +376,7 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 			Object next = value.next();
 
 			if (ArrayNode.class.isInstance(jsonNode)) {
-				return handleArray(jsonNode, next, mapper, componentType);
+				return handleArray(jsonNode, next, mapper, getTypeToMap(value, componentType));
 			}
 
 			if (ObjectNode.class.isInstance(jsonNode)) {
@@ -417,7 +411,7 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 
 		Iterator<Entry<String, JsonNode>> fields = node.fields();
 		Class<?> keyType = typeOrObject(type.getComponentType());
-		Class<?> valueType = typeOrObject(type.getMapValueType());
+		TypeInformation<?> valueType = type.getMapValueType();
 
 		while (fields.hasNext()) {
 
@@ -427,6 +421,7 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 
 			Object mappedKey = mapper.readValue(quote(key), keyType);
 			Object sourceValue = source.get(mappedKey);
+			TypeInformation<?> typeToMap = getTypeToMap(sourceValue, valueType);
 
 			if (value instanceof ObjectNode && sourceValue != null) {
 
@@ -434,12 +429,11 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 
 			} else if (value instanceof ArrayNode && sourceValue != null) {
 
-				handleArray(value, sourceValue, mapper, type);
+				handleArray(value, sourceValue, mapper, getTypeToMap(sourceValue, typeToMap));
 
 			} else {
 
-				Class<?> typeToRead = sourceValue != null ? sourceValue.getClass() : valueType;
-				source.put(mappedKey, mapper.treeToValue(value, typeToRead));
+				source.put(mappedKey, mapper.treeToValue(value, typeToMap.getType()));
 			}
 
 			fields.remove();
@@ -554,4 +548,30 @@ public class DomainObjectReader {
 	private static Class<?> typeOrObject(TypeInformation<?> type) {
 		return type == null ? Object.class : type.getType();
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the type to read for the given value and default type. The type will be defaulted to {@link Object} if
+	 * missing. If the given value's type is different from the given default (i.e. more concrete) the value's type will
+	 * be used.
+	 * 
+	 * @param value can be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param type can be {@literal null}.
+	 * @return
+	 */
+	private static TypeInformation<?> getTypeToMap(Object value, TypeInformation<?> type) {
+
+		if (type == null) {
+			type = ClassTypeInformation.OBJECT;
+		}
+
+		if (value == null) {
+			return type;
+		}
+
+		if (Enum.class.isInstance(value)) {
+			return ClassTypeInformation.from(((Enum<?>) value).getDeclaringClass());
+		}
+
+		return value.getClass().equals(type.getType()) ? type : ClassTypeInformation.from(value.getClass());
+	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReaderUnitTests.java b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReaderUnitTests.java
index 329f39851..03b09400f 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReaderUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/json/DomainObjectReaderUnitTests.java
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.rest.webmvc.json;
 
-import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.*;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
 import static org.junit.Assert.*;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
 
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ public class DomainObjectReaderUnitTests {
 		mappingContext.getPersistentEntity(Parent.class);
 		mappingContext.getPersistentEntity(Product.class);
 		mappingContext.getPersistentEntity(TransientReadOnlyProperty.class);
+		mappingContext.getPersistentEntity(CollectionOfEnumWithMethods.class);
 		mappingContext.afterPropertiesSet();
 
 		PersistentEntities entities = new PersistentEntities(Collections.singleton(mappingContext));
@@ -451,6 +452,20 @@ public class DomainObjectReaderUnitTests {
 		reader.readPut((ObjectNode) node, new TransientReadOnlyProperty(), mapper);
 	}
 
+	@Test // DATAREST-977
+	public void readsCollectionOfComplexEnum() throws Exception {
+
+		CollectionOfEnumWithMethods sample = new CollectionOfEnumWithMethods();
+		sample.enums.add(SampleEnum.FIRST);
+
+		ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
+		JsonNode node = mapper.readTree("{ \"enums\" : [ \"SECOND\", \"FIRST\" ] }");
+
+		CollectionOfEnumWithMethods result = reader.merge((ObjectNode) node, sample, mapper);
+
+		assertThat(result.enums, contains(SampleEnum.SECOND, SampleEnum.FIRST));
+	}
+
 	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 	private static <T> T as(Object source, Class<T> type) {
 
@@ -585,4 +600,33 @@ public class DomainObjectReaderUnitTests {
 
 		public void setName(String name) {}
 	}
+
+	// DATAREST-977
+
+	interface EnumInterface {
+		String getFoo();
+	}
+
+	static enum SampleEnum implements EnumInterface {
+
+		FIRST {
+
+			@Override
+			public String getFoo() {
+				return "first";
+			}
+
+		},
+		SECOND {
+
+			public String getFoo() {
+				return "second";
+			}
+		};
+	}
+
+	@JsonAutoDetect(fieldVisibility = Visibility.ANY)
+	static class CollectionOfEnumWithMethods {
+		List<SampleEnum> enums = new ArrayList<SampleEnum>();
+	}
 }