Marietta Holley (1836-1926) was an American humorist who used satire to comment on U.S. society and politics. Her successful series of "Samantha" books feature the character of Samantha Allen, a wise small-town woman, who goes on adventures in urban America and Europe, and her foolish husband, Josiah Allen. Holley was so skilled with satire and so popular that she was often compared to Mark Twain and Edgar Nye.