Brown Books Publishing Group, 120 pages, hardcover, $29.19

Often referred to as “the most heard, least known composer in America,” jingle writer Stephen Arnold attempts to tell his story through the photographer’s lens in A Story of Six Strings. However, unlike most stories told through pictures, this one does not depict the artist himself or his work, but rather his instruments.

Presented as a coffee table photography book and written as a memoir, A Story of Six Strings tells the back story of each of the author’s guitars, starting with his first 1959 Sears Silvertone acoustic guitar, acquired when he was just seven years old. Each subsequent anecdote tells either of how the author came to possess the instrument, a story about a notable gig or session during which the guitar was played, how it inspired a jingle, or the back story of the guitar itself. At times reflective, some of Arnold’s tales offer glimpses into the mysterious creative process of a musician. However, the stories often veer into the realm of showing off his limited edition, autographed instruments that were acquired at auctions. Not quite the stuff great stories are made of.

Photographed by Chris Fritchie, the visuals of the book are pleasing to the eye but conceptually disjointed. Prominently displayed in the foreground of beautiful landscapes, the pairing of instrument and landscape doesn’t always make sense, other than having a nice-looking guitar pictured with a nice-looking background. Or, in the case of the 1964 Alamo Fiesta photographed in front of the actual Alamo, the pairing is a bit clichéd.

Stephen Arnold’s stepping out from behind the curtain of CNN soundscapes and Weather Channel compositions to tell the story of his career and craft through the instruments that accompanied him on his journey is undoubtedly a noble venture. However, the over-conceptualization and lackluster execution of A Story of Six Strings offers a poor insight into this musician’s, and his instruments’, life of sound.