# library.forgemesh.io Classic Literature Shelf

> library.forgemesh.io Classic Literature 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 enduring public-domain classic novels and literary works with titles, authors, years, book IDs, and drill-down routes for full-text retrieval.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://library.forgemesh.io/classic-literature
- 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/library-forgemesh-io-classic-literature-shelf-bca2fe1f
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_SbYQ3zxD030H4xcjBD8Zy

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 library-forgemesh-io-classic-literature-shelf-bca2fe1f -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you pull up the top 30 classic novels from the public-domain library shelf — I want titles, authors, and years so I can pick something to read?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a curated, popularity-ranked catalog of classic novels and literary fiction specifically — as opposed to poetry, plays, philosophy, science, or history (which have their own sibling shelves). Prefer this over full-text search endpoints when the goal is browsing or listing rather than finding a specific passage or title.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid limit value (e.g. exceeding 50 or negative number) may return a 400 error
- Payment failure via x402 protocol results in 402 Payment Required before any content is returned
- Service downtime or network errors return 5xx responses with no book data

## How this service works

Curated shelf of enduring public-domain classic novels and literary works, ranked by historical popularity. Returns title, author, year, book_id, and drill-down routes for full-text retrieval. No license, no API key — every book is public domain in the USA.

## Output

A ranked list of up to 50 classic public-domain novels and literary works, each entry containing title, author name, publication year, a book_id for reference, and drill-down route URLs for retrieving full text.

## 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": "1998",
    "title": "Pride and Prejudice",
    "author": "Austen, Jane, 1775-1817",
    "book_id": 1342,
    "subjects": [
     "Courtship -- Fiction",
     "England -- Fiction"
    ],
    "download_count": 59636
   }
  ],
  "count": 5,
  "shelf": "Classic Literature",
  "coverage": {
   "target": 1000,
   "indexed": 865
  },
  "drill_down": [
   "/book-metadata",
   "/book-chapter",
   "/book-quotes",
   "/literature-search"
  ]
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/library-forgemesh-io-classic-literature-shelf-bca2fe1f/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)