We present spectroscopic optical and photometric infrared observations of 12 faint candidate members of the young open cluster \alpha Persei found by Prosser ( [ 1994 ] ) .
Keck HIRES echelle spectra provide radial and rotational velocity measurements for five objects , two of which are clearly nonmembers based on the radial velocities .
These kinematic nonmembers also do not fit well in the ( V - I ) vs ( I - J ) cluster sequence .
One additional faint object is likely a nonmember based on a low-resolution spectrum .

Using HIRES , we have searched for the Li i resonance line .
Combining the absence/presence of lithium and photometry of the faint \alpha Persei targets with confirmed membership constrains their ages and masses .
The lack of lithium in AP J0323+4853 implies its age is greater than about 65 Myr , which is older than the cluster classical upper main-sequence turnoff age of 50 Myr .
A similar age discrepancy is found in the Pleiades .
We detect lithium in the faintest of our program stars , AP270 , which implies a mass for it just at the substellar mass limit , given our adopted age and its luminosity .
The membership of AP281 is in question because of its high radial velocity compared with the cluster mean .
On the other hand AP281 lies on the photometric cluster sequence , and has a very high rotation velocity and H \alpha emission , indicating youth .
If a member , its lack of lithium would push the minimum age of the cluster to 75 Myr , in agreement with a very recent upper main-sequence determination .
In that case , AP270 would not be a brown dwarf .