15 h 16 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 15 h 16 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a plainspoken farm wife brings her stubborn common sense to a nation's grand celebration?
In Marietta Holley's comic novel, Samantha Allen leaves Jonesville for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. The fair celebrates a hundred years since the Declaration of Independence with machines, farm goods, art and industry. Samantha tells the story herself, bringing a sharp tongue and a country eye to everything America puts on show.
Her husband, Josiah Allen, clings to old habits and gives her plenty to argue with. But Samantha's questions reach beyond their marriage. Beneath the jokes about pride, fashion and politics lies a pointed concern: why does a nation celebrating liberty shut women out of voting, public life and fair treatment in law?
What you’ll discover
- A voice worth following Samantha's homespun jokes and side remarks turn a public celebration into a wonderfully personal journey.
- A stubborn sparring partner Josiah's resistance to change gives Samantha's sharp common sense something solid to push against.
- America on proud display Explore the Centennial's machines, art and farm goods through a visitor who speaks her mind.
- Rights beneath the laughter Follow Samantha's questions about women's place in a country busy celebrating its own freedom.
- Satire close to home Watch pride, fashion and politics meet the plain judgment of a Jonesville farm wife.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy a funny narrator with firm opinions, village comedy, and a sharp-tongued heroine who speaks up for women and plain kindness.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Debating Society Votes Against Her
- The Widow Doodle Moves In
- A Frozen Boy Ends the Argument
- Shirt Buttons Take Her to the Polls
- Two Weary Wives Along the Road
- Molly and the Gloomy Deacon
- The Centennial Overwhelms Her
- Whose Rights Count in a Free Land
- Home, Marriage and the Cost of Show
- A Narrator Who Gives Herself Away
Who’s who
- Samantha AllenThe narrator and wife of Josiah, a plain-spoken farm woman who goes to Philadelphia as a Promiscuous Advisor and gives opinions to everyone.
- Josiah AllenHer short, stingy, hungry husband, who agrees to the tour mostly for the food and a chance to see the sights.
- Widow DoodleJosiah's sister-in-law, who lives with them, talks of her late husband all day and wants a new husband all the same.
- Thomas JeffersonSamantha's clever son, a young doctor who loves Maggy Snow and may move west to start a life of his own.
- Tirzah AnnSamantha's daughter, married to Whitfield Minkley, who worries that her husband loves her less than when he courted her.
- Solomon CypherA grand-speaking Jonesville man who strikes his chest and opposes women in public life, and who proposes to the Widow soon after his wife dies.
- Uncle Zebulin CoffinA deacon who has not smiled in forty years and who has driven away his sons and forbidden his daughter Molly to marry Tom.
- Senator VyseA rich, charming politician who talks of the purity of the polls and who has wronged a girl left in his care.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Josiah Allens Frau als P. A. und P. I.
by Marietta Holley · 1877
A farm wife sets out for the 1876 Philadelphia fair to advise the Nation, her hungry husband in tow.
Medium level10–20 hours to readDeutsch
Excellent
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In short
What happens when a farm wife decides the whole country needs her advice? Samantha Allen, known as Josiah Allen's wife, announces that she will travel to the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876 as a Promiscuous Advisor and Private Investigator.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Debating Society Votes Against Her
The trip begins in a cold schoolhouse, where the Jonesville Creation Searching Society meets on Tuesday nights. Samantha attends with her knitting, and Josiah holds her ball of yarn. The men fight over whether a woman may take part at all.
Solomon Cypher begs the room to beware of the female pole, which he thinks will bring men and women into a dreadful closeness. Samantha notes that he has lived with a wife for forty years.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1877
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 9 h 55 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Holley, Marietta. Josiah Allen's Wife as a P. A. and P. I.. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/josiah-allens-wife-as-a-p-a-and-p-i.
Holley, M. (2026). Josiah Allen's wife as a P. A. and P. I.. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/josiah-allens-wife-as-a-p-a-and-p-i (Original work published 1877)
Holley, Marietta. Josiah Allen's Wife as a P. A. and P. I.. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/josiah-allens-wife-as-a-p-a-and-p-i.
@book{holley2026josiah,
author = {Holley, Marietta},
title = {Josiah Allen's Wife as a P. A. and P. I.},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/josiah-allens-wife-as-a-p-a-and-p-i},
note = {First published 1877}
}
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What is Josiah Allen's Wife as a P. A. and P. I. about?
It follows Samantha Allen, a farm wife from Jonesville, on a trip to the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial. She travels as an advisor and investigator, visits relatives, meets famous people at the fair and speaks up for women and temperance.
What do P. A. and P. I. stand for?
P. A. means Promiscuous Advisor, which Samantha uses to mean an advisor to everyone alike. P. I. means Private Investigator. The Jonesville society gives her the second title and she insists on the first, so she takes both.
Who is Josiah Allen's wife?
She is Samantha Allen, born Smith, who narrates the book. She is large, earnest and sure of herself, and she loves her small, thrifty husband Josiah dearly. Her neighbors know her best as Josiah Allen's wife.
The author
Marietta Holley
1836–1926 · American humorist
Marietta Holley was a bestselling American humorist, often compared to Mark Twain in her day, who wrote as "Josiah Allen's Wife"; through her plainspoken heroine Samantha she argued for temperance and women's rights, as in Samantha Among the Brethren.
More by Marietta Holley
Alle Bücher des Autors ansehenMore like this
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