Portrait of Auto Dealer

If you wanted to read the history of the American car industry, a great place to start would be the book, “Portrait Of An Automobile Dealer”

If you’re looking for a unique window into the history of the American automobile industry—one that’s both local and deeply personal—Portrait Of An Automobile Dealer is an exceptional place to begin. Authored and self-published by Jeanne Gartner in 2012, the book grew out of this very blog as a chronologically organized, expanded version documenting the remarkable story of Reed Brothers Dodge.

Now in its fourth edition, the book chronicles the 95-year history of one of Maryland’s oldest family-owned Dodge dealerships. But its scope extends far beyond a single business. It also mirrors the sweeping transformations in the American auto industry and in society itself over the course of the 20th century. The third edition, published in 2016, was honored with the Arthur M. Wagman Award for Historic Preservation Communication by Peerless Rockville—a distinction awarded to individuals whose work enriches public understanding of Rockville’s cultural and architectural legacy.

Inside the pages of the book, readers will find a detailed historical timeline that traces how Reed Brothers Dodge came into existence in Rockville, Maryland, and how the company weathered nearly a century of evolution in the auto industry. As Jane C. Sween, former librarian of the Montgomery County Historical Society, noted, “This book is of interest not only to those of us who remember Reed Brothers Dodge, but to others who wish to get to know Rockville as it was before they arrived.”

Though the dealership no longer stands, its legacy is woven into the very fabric of the community. Today, its former site is home to “The Reed” apartments—aptly named to honor the family and the history that helped shape the area.

The recognition from Peerless Rockville is not just a tribute to the book, it’s a testament to Jeanne Gartner’s dedication to preserving a piece of Rockville’s past. As the organization stated, the book is “an exemplary effort to inform, establishing a virtual commemoration of a landmark, which lacks surviving tangible form.”

Through both her blog and book, the author has ensured that the story of Reed Brothers Dodge endures—a legacy remembered, recorded, and passed on for generations to come.

The book “Portrait Of An Automobile Dealer, Fourth Edition” is available through Blurb.com print-on-demand bookstore. If you would like to check out the hard copy book or purchase a copy, please visit: https://www.blurb.com/b/12491295-portrait-of-an-automobile-dealer-fourth-edition

You can preview the entire book on the site, just click the “PREVIEW” button under the cover image. It looks best full screen, and you can flip through the pages by clicking the bottom corners.

A Note About Pricing

You’ll notice that the price of this book is higher than what you’d typically expect, and there’s a reason for that. The book is printed using Print-On-Demand (POD) technology, which allows books to be produced one at a time, only when they’re ordered. Unlike traditional offset printing, which requires a large minimum print run (usually 500+ copies), POD offers flexibility and eliminates the need for upfront inventory… but it does come with a higher cost per copy. This book is not marked up for profit. It is sold at its base production cost, with no additional fees added. The goal is simply to make this final, expanded edition available to those who value the history it preserves.