# ForgeMesh Library – Modern History Shelf (1750+)

> ForgeMesh Library – Modern History Shelf (1750+) 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 50 curated public-domain books in modern history (post-1750), with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://library.forgemesh.io/history-modern-1750
- 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-modern-history-shelf-1750-86c370ef
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_MUXhF47Q69yYXuksbXiVC

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-modern-history-shelf-1750-86c370ef -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Show me the top 10 public-domain books on modern history from ForgeMesh Library's history shelf — the ones from 1750 onward — so I can pick something to read.

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a curated, pre-ranked list of public-domain modern history books (post-1750) and want ready-made drill-down routes for full-text retrieval — especially when you don't want to scrape Project Gutenberg or build your own index. It's ideal for building reading lists, populating a history curriculum, or discovering canonical works in the modern era. Use the sibling ancient-history shelf if you need pre-1750 texts.

## Known failure modes

- Limit parameter exceeds 50 — may return error or be capped at maximum
- Network or payment failure (x402 protocol) prevents access to the endpoint
- Endpoint returns fewer than requested books if corpus is smaller than limit
- Malformed request body causes a 400-level error

## How this service works

Curated shelf: History - Modern (1750+) — 5008 public-domain books including Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 For the First Time Collected and Translated, with Notes Social, Historical, and Chronological, from Contemporary Sources, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African Written By Himself. Returns a ranked list with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval. No license, no API key required.

## Output

A ranked list of public-domain books in the modern history (1750+) category, including titles, authors, and drill-down routes that allow the agent to fetch full text. Up to 50 results depending on the limit parameter, defaulting to 20.

## 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": "Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 For the First Time Collected and Translated, with Notes Social, Historical, and Chronological, from Contemporary Sources",
    "author": "Napoleon I, Emperor of the French",
    "book_id": 37499,
    "subjects": [],
    "download_count": 40942
   }
  ],
  "count": 5,
  "shelf": "History - Modern (1750+)",
  "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-modern-history-shelf-1750-86c370ef/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)