This is the 50th anniversary edition of the western that made Max Evans famous.

The bawdy and moving story of two contemporary bronco busters, The Rounders, originally published in 1960, was Max Evans's first novel and is still his best known work, thanks largely to the success of the 1965 movie version starring Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford. Acclaimed for its realistic depiction of modern cowboying and for its humor, it is also a very serious work, described by the author as a tragicomedy.

Ben Jones and Marion 'Howdy' Lewis are two easygoing, modern-day cowboys who make a meager living breaking wild horses. Their frequent employer is Jim Ed Love, a shrewd businessman who always gets the better of them. After they bring him a string of tamed horses, he talks them into taking a nondescript horse in lieu of some of their wages.

Ben finds (to his great and frequent discomfort) that the horse is unrideable. Rather than turning it into dog food, he comes up with the bright idea of taking it to a rodeo and betting other cowhands they cannot ride it. Along the way, the duo stop to help two none-too-bright strippers, Mary and Sister, with their car, which has broken down. Not knowing much about cars, they give them a ride to the nearest garage, but end up getting to know them better (going skinny dipping with them) and taking them along to the rodeo.

Everything goes as planned; nobody is able to stay on the horse. Then the animal suddenly collapses and Ben very reluctantly spends all the money they've won for veterinary help. In the end, Ben and Howdy end up right back where they started, with only the horse to show for their efforts.

The Rounders is a realistic depiction of modern cowboying and was called "one of the funniest cowpoke yarns to come off the presses in many a fall roundup" by the Denver Post.