Investigation of the Praesepe cluster. I - Identification of halo members Coravel radial velocities and UBVRI (Kron) photometry of 117 starsselected by their proper motion in the region surrounding Praesepe (NGC2632, C 0837 + 201) have permitted identification of 48 members of thecluster halo, up to a distance of 4 deg from the cluster center. The 43(F5-K0) new members represent 51 percent of the number of nucleusmembers known in this spectral interval. Ten spectroscopic binaries havebeen discovered among the F5-F0 members, resulting in a frequency of 23percent, which rises to 33 percent four probable binaries are taken intoaccount. Six orbits have been obtained, with periods ranging from 1.2 to143 d. Four additional binaries have been detected among the non-memberstars.