Popping out of the Christmas mail like a tuna after a sardine, Ed Ries' new version of his hot-selling coffee-table book, "Tales of the Golden Years of California Ocean Fishing 1900-1950" was unexpected, but greatly appreciated. It is a second chance for anglers who weren't around or were slow to get a copy of the first edition.

The first edition sold out shortly and was a joy to picture-browse. The stories were engrossing, authentic and sometimes touching. The second edition will make you sit right up, with new stories and new colored photos, paintings and drawings.

The first edition brought Ed so many historical artifacts like photos and ads he was able to improve on the first in a big way. He changed some of the illustrations, like the one on the cover (the first edition featured a gowned woman angler with her gaffer and a giant black sea bass hanging from a scales) to the excitement of lift-poling yellowfin, two to a pole, off the frothing stern of a bait boat.

Boats and their histories, personalities, tackle and technique, local fishing for the market as a depression kid, fishing for South Pacific tuna during W II with his self-designed "Condom Jig," Ries tells the stories.

It's a great book, with Ries' halibut secrets, tales of Catalina salmon and small-boat close-up experiences with white sharks. The drunk who sat on the sack of sculpin, shoals of stovepipe barracuda and the first sport-caught bluefin; it's all here in the second edition of "Tales of the golden Years."

Added to the section on pioneers and personalities, the stories of "Captain Bluefin" Eddie McEwen and Manny Silva made it into the second edition, along with the new stories and new paintings. You'll read about "Looping the snakes," the old "knucklebuster reels," and fishing for albacore from a 26-foot boat off San Quintin. There's a shot of albacore boats anchored at Guadalupe Island.

Don't miss this book! "Tales of the Golden Year" is published with a 2007 copyright by Monterey Publications, 25572 Sarita Dr., Laguna Hills, CA 92653. The company lists this web site: HYPERLINK "http://www.montereypubs.com" www.montereypubs.com.

Me, I'm proposing that Ed Ries make a book of his paintings and drawings.