diff --git a/gridData/mrc.py b/gridData/mrc.py
index e4551bf..803a969 100644
--- a/gridData/mrc.py
+++ b/gridData/mrc.py
@@ -107,12 +107,15 @@ def read(self, filename):
                                  "alpha={0}, beta={1}, gamma={2}".format(
                                      h.cellb.alpha, h.cellb.beta, h.cellb.gamma))
             # mrc.data[z, y, x] indexed: convert to x,y,z as used in GridDataFormats
-            # mapc, mapr, maps = 1, 2, 3 for Fortran-ordering and 3, 2, 1 for C-ordering. 
-            # Other combinations are possible. We reorder the data for the general case 
-            # by sorting mapc, mapr, maps in descending order.
+            # together with the axes orientation information in mapc/mapr/maps.
+            # mapc, mapr, maps = 1, 2, 3 for Fortran-ordering and 3, 2, 1 for C-ordering.
+            # Other combinations are possible. We reorder the data for the general case
+            # by sorting mapc, mapr, maps in ascending order, i.e., to obtain x,y,z.
+            # mrcfile provides the data in zyx shape (without regard to map*) so we first
+            # transpose it to xyz and then reorient with axes_c_order.
             axes_order = np.hstack([mrc.header.mapc, mrc.header.mapr, mrc.header.maps])
-            axes_c_order = np.argsort(axes_order)[::-1]
-            self.array = np.transpose(mrc.data, axes = axes_c_order)
+            axes_c_order = np.argsort(axes_order)
+            self.array = np.transpose(np.transpose(mrc.data), axes=axes_c_order)
             self.delta = np.diag([mrc.voxel_size.x, mrc.voxel_size.y, mrc.voxel_size.z])
             self.origin = np.array([h.origin.x, h.origin.y, h.origin.z])
             self.rank = 3
diff --git a/gridData/tests/test_mrc.py b/gridData/tests/test_mrc.py
index 161a8a3..a5fc49f 100644
--- a/gridData/tests/test_mrc.py
+++ b/gridData/tests/test_mrc.py
@@ -90,8 +90,15 @@ def test_ccp4_read_header(ccp4data, name, value):
     else:
         assert_equal(ccp4data.header[name], value)
 
+def test_axes_orientation(ccp4data):
+    # correctly interpret mapc, mapr, maps = 2, 1, 3
+    # for nx, ny, nz = 96, 76, 70.
+    # see also #76
+    assert_equal(ccp4data.array.shape, (76, 96, 70))
+
 def test_triclinic_ValueError():
     with pytest.raises(ValueError,
                        match="Only orthorhombic unitcells are currently "
                        "supported, not"):
         Grid(datafiles.MRC_EMD3001, file_format="MRC")
+