`get_author`

Pack: books · Endpoint: https://gateway.pipeworx.io/books/mcp

Get author biography, major works, and key information using their Open Library ID (e.g., “OL23919A”). Returns birth/death dates, complete bibliography, and biographical summary.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`author_key`	string	yes	Open Library author key (e.g., OL23919A)

Example call

Arguments

{
  "author_key": "OL23919A"
}

curl

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/books/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_author","arguments":{"author_key":"OL23919A"}}}'

TypeScript (@pipeworx/sdk)

import { Pipeworx } from '@pipeworx/sdk';
const pipeworx = new Pipeworx();

const result = await pipeworx.call('get_author', {
  "author_key": "OL23919A"
});

Response shape

Always returns: name, birth_date, death_date, bio, wikipedia_url

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	Author name
`birth_date`	string \| null	Birth date if available
`death_date`	string \| null	Death date if available
`bio`	string \| null	Biographical summary
`wikipedia_url`	string \| null	Wikipedia URL if available

Full JSON Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Author name"
    },
    "birth_date": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Birth date if available"
    },
    "death_date": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Death date if available"
    },
    "bio": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Biographical summary"
    },
    "wikipedia_url": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Wikipedia URL if available"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "name",
    "birth_date",
    "death_date",
    "bio",
    "wikipedia_url"
  ]
}

Connect

Add this to your MCP client config, or use one-click install buttons:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "books": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/books/mcp"
    }
  }
}

See Getting Started for client-specific install steps.

get_author