# ForgeMesh Library – Encyclopedias & Dictionaries Shelf

> ForgeMesh Library – Encyclopedias & Dictionaries Shelf is a paid API for AI agents from library.forgemesh.io, paid per call via x402, $0.003/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Returns a ranked list of up to 149 public-domain encyclopedias and dictionaries (including Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th Edition volumes) with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://library.forgemesh.io/encyclopedias-and-dictionaries
- Price: $0.003/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/forgemesh-library-encyclopedias-dictionaries-shelf-85d3f512
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_x4Bt2X7PNrXam42gaBPJQ

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability forgemesh-library-encyclopedias-dictionaries-shelf-85d3f512 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you pull up the curated shelf of public-domain encyclopedias and dictionaries on ForgeMesh Library and show me the top 30 titles including any Encyclopaedia Britannica volumes?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a curated, browsable list of public-domain encyclopedias and dictionaries — especially Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th Edition volumes — with ready-to-use drill-down routes for full text. Prefer it over the full-text search sibling when you want to discover what reference titles are available rather than searching within them.

## Known failure modes

- limit exceeds maximum of 50 — response may return error or clamp to 50
- payment failure via x402 protocol — call blocked if 0.003 USDC micropayment is not processed
- empty result if corpus is temporarily unavailable
- invalid limit type (non-integer) causing a 400 bad request

## How this service works

Curated reading list on Encyclopedias and dictionaries for tutoring agents, quiz generators, and reading apps — 149 public-domain books (e.g. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Banks" to "Bassoon" Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1). Full-text retrieval with drill-down routes for chapters, quotes, and citations. No license, no API key required.

## Output

A ranked list of up to 149 public-domain encyclopedia and dictionary titles (default 20, max 50 per call), each with drill-down routes that enable full-text retrieval of individual books or entries.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "limit": {
   "type": "integer",
   "description": "Max books to return (default 20, max 50)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "books": [
   {
    "year": null,
    "title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, \"Banks\" to \"Bassoon\" Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3",
    "author": "Various",
    "book_id": 27480,
    "subjects": [],
    "download_count": 6774
   }
  ],
  "count": 5,
  "shelf": "Encyclopedias and dictionaries",
  "coverage": {
   "target": 61015,
   "indexed": 61015
  },
  "drill_down": [
   "/book-metadata",
   "/book-chapter",
   "/book-quotes",
   "/literature-search"
  ]
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/forgemesh-library-encyclopedias-dictionaries-shelf-85d3f512/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from library.forgemesh.io](https://www.zero.xyz/host/library.forgemesh.io/llms.txt)