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Rating: 
Summary: Impressive Book
Review: I have the Visual Basic 5.0 guide to Win32 by Daniel Appleman (which is incredible) and I was looking for a book to use as a general reference to WIN32 API calls as opposed to for VB, so I bought this book, and I think it is excellent!The first 3 chapters are: WINDOWS 95/NT programming, THE WIN32 API, and CREATING WINDOWS. That is pretty much 3 books in one right there! The chapters I think make this book so nice are the chapters on the Registry, File Decompression, Threads, Timers, System Information, a really good File IO chapter that discusses File locking, Creating Icons. The book is also hardback which I was surprised to see since the price was the same as the other books that aren't. I have some programming experience but I would consider myself intermediate and I think this book is perfect for me. I don't understand what the few people who wrote mediocre reviews were expecting, I would think that anyone who bought this book would know C or C++ already, and come on, reading this book won't teach you C++, but it will teach you to use API calls in your programs. I don't mean to sound so "gungho" about this book but I have over 30 books about programming and NT etc., but so far only 2 of them have actually been useful, this book and Daniel Appleman's book on VB and WIN32. I hate spending so much money on books I will never open again, so when a good one comes along I have to tell people about it.
Rating:
Summary: I'm sorry, this is just THE best.
Review: I originally bought this book (online mind you, having nothing but the title, page count and a few vauge reviews) with the intention of learning how to control windows with the SendMessage function, but was disappointed to find it full of mostly the drawing part of the WinAPI. But after sitting on the shelf for a few months, it's come back to teach me soooo much about the Win32 platform and C++ programming for it. I went from being an amature console C programmer to a hot GUI, interactive and not to mention much more efficient (with tips on threading and spawning from the book) Windows coder. I'd pay for it thrice if I had to. If you're tired of VB for your apps, this is the transition point for you into V/C++ and/or ASM Win32 coding. This book is Win32.
Rating: 
Summary: A useful reference, but surprisingly lacking in some areas.
Review: Overall, this book provides the reader with a good reference to the basic Win32 API's, and I use it frequently in my work. The sample code is good overall, although I have found a few examples that are in error. The biggest disapointment, however, is that the book completely omits a reference section for the Windows messages -- something that was included in the old Windows 3.1 API Bible and should have been in this one as well.
Rating:
Summary: Same as Windows 95 Win 32 Programming Api Bible by Simon
Review: This author (Richard Simon) has packaged the same book, one with win95 listed in the title (softcover, cheaper), the other with NT in the title (hardcover, more expensive). Each is subtitled "Covers all Win32 APIs common to both Windows NT and Windows 95". They're virtually the same book. Search on Richard Simon and compare... and beware.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for VB and VC++ programmers
Review: This book does have mistakes in some functions, but it is the most complete WIN32 ref I have seen. It is useful for the VB programmer, and for the VC++ programmer. I bought it right when it came out. I am buying another one because I gave my first one to a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Use of Controls missing
Review: This book has lots of information about WIN32 but nothing about the controls.
Rating:
Summary: This one is a must have!
Review: Yep. It's just the most complete api reference I've seen. Don't forget there are another two parts of this book, I instantly bought along with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Close but no cigar........
Review: Yes, the book does covers most every WIN32 API fuction call, but fails to leave out some pretty important information. For example, the book describes in detail the function anv various parameters and datatypes used by the function, but leaves out which LIBRARY .dll to use with your call. Now I'm not a C++ code jockey, but I would have expected the book to identify which .dll needed to be called instead of indicating which C++ include file (wingdi.h) the function uses. Other than that, the book is very well written and organized.
Rating:
Summary: Close but no cigar........
Review: You can save your money, becuase no one needs such a book. This book contains very simple description of most popular API's. MSDN has same documentation and even better than this book. The book has poor explanation for every API comparing to the MSDN.
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