diff --git a/changelog b/changelog
--- a/changelog
+++ b/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+zip-archive 0.2.3.5
+
+  * Allow compilation with binary >= 0.5.  Note that toArchiveOrFail
+    is not safe when compiled against binary < 0.7; it will never
+    return a Left value, and will raise an error if parsing fails,
+    just like toArchive.  This is documented in the haddocks.
+    This is ugly, but justified by the need to have a version
+    of zip-archive that compiles against older versions of binary.
+
 zip-archive 0.2.3.4
 
   * Make sure all path comparisons compare normalized paths.
diff --git a/src/Codec/Archive/Zip.hs b/src/Codec/Archive/Zip.hs
--- a/src/Codec/Archive/Zip.hs
+++ b/src/Codec/Archive/Zip.hs
@@ -72,7 +72,9 @@
 import System.IO ( stderr, hPutStrLn )
 import qualified Data.Digest.CRC32 as CRC32
 import qualified Data.Map as M
+#if MIN_VERSION_binary(0,6,0)
 import Control.Applicative
+#endif
 #ifndef _WINDOWS
 import System.Posix.Files ( setFileTimes )
 #endif
@@ -87,6 +89,19 @@
 -- from zlib
 import qualified Codec.Compression.Zlib.Raw as Zlib
 
+#if !MIN_VERSION_binary(0, 6, 0)
+manySig :: Word32 -> Get a -> Get [a]
+manySig sig p = do
+    sig' <- lookAhead getWord32le
+    if sig == sig'
+        then do
+            r <- p
+            rs <- manySig sig p
+            return $ r : rs
+        else return []
+#endif
+
+
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 -- | Structured representation of a zip archive, including directory
@@ -139,12 +154,19 @@
 toArchive :: B.ByteString -> Archive
 toArchive = decode
 
--- | Like 'toArchive', but returns an 'Either' value instead of raising an error
--- if the archive cannot be decoded.
+-- | Like 'toArchive', but returns an 'Either' value instead of raising an
+-- error if the archive cannot be decoded.  NOTE:  This function only
+-- works properly when the library is compiled against binary >= 0.7.
+-- With earlier versions, it will always return a Right value,
+-- raising an error if parsing fails.
 toArchiveOrFail :: B.ByteString -> Either String Archive
+#if MIN_VERSION_binary(0,7,0)
 toArchiveOrFail bs = case decodeOrFail bs of
                            Left (_,_,e)  -> Left e
                            Right (_,_,x) -> Right x
+#else
+toArchiveOrFail bs = Right $ toArchive bs
+#endif
 
 -- | Writes an 'Archive' structure to a raw zip archive (in a lazy bytestring).
 fromArchive :: Archive -> B.ByteString
@@ -435,9 +457,15 @@
 
 getArchive :: Get Archive
 getArchive = do
+#if MIN_VERSION_binary(0,6,0)
   locals <- many getLocalFile
   files <- many (getFileHeader (M.fromList locals))
   digSig <- Just `fmap` getDigitalSignature <|> return Nothing
+#else
+  locals <- manySig 0x04034b50 getLocalFile
+  files <- manySig 0x02014b50 (getFileHeader (M.fromList locals))
+  digSig <- lookAheadM getDigitalSignature
+#endif 
   endSig <- getWord32le
   unless (endSig == 0x06054b50)
     $ fail "Did not find end of central directory signature"
@@ -690,11 +718,22 @@
 -- >     size of data                    2 bytes
 -- >     signature data (variable size)
 
+#if MIN_VERSION_binary(0,6,0)
 getDigitalSignature :: Get B.ByteString
 getDigitalSignature = do
   getWord32le >>= ensure (== 0x05054b50)
   sigSize <- getWord16le
   getLazyByteString (toEnum $ fromEnum sigSize)
+#else
+getDigitalSignature :: Get (Maybe B.ByteString)
+getDigitalSignature = do
+  hdrSig <- getWord32le
+  if hdrSig /= 0x05054b50
+     then return Nothing
+     else do
+        sigSize <- getWord16le
+        getLazyByteString (toEnum $ fromEnum sigSize) >>= return . Just
+#endif
 
 putDigitalSignature :: Maybe B.ByteString -> Put
 putDigitalSignature Nothing = return ()
diff --git a/zip-archive.cabal b/zip-archive.cabal
--- a/zip-archive.cabal
+++ b/zip-archive.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:                zip-archive
-Version:             0.2.3.4
+Version:             0.2.3.5
 Cabal-Version:       >= 1.10
 Build-type:          Simple
 Synopsis:            Library for creating and modifying zip archives.
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
     Build-depends:   base >= 3 && < 5, pretty, containers
   else
     Build-depends:   base < 3
-  Build-depends:     binary >= 0.7, zlib, filepath, bytestring >= 0.9.0,
+  Build-depends:     binary >= 0.5, zlib, filepath, bytestring >= 0.9.0,
                      array, mtl, text >= 0.11, old-time, digest >= 0.0.0.1,
                      directory, time
   Exposed-modules:   Codec.Archive.Zip