win32API

Advanced Windows: The Developer's Guide to the Win32 Api for Windows Nt 3.5 and Windows 95
$44.95
A guide to 32-bit programming demonstrates its elegant and powerful capabilities over conventional 16-bit applications and includes accompanying sample code and compiled applications. Original. (Intermediate).

Windows NT Win32 API SuperBible (Other Sams)
$64.99
I've been using this reference for years. Though I am not a programmer, per se, I do need to know what goes on under the hood. This book has been my resource on a great many occasions.

In 30 chapters, author Simon covers the entire Win32 API with concise, reasonably comprehensive explanations of each function. Syntax for use is shown as well as flags, returns and other information necessary to understand the function. There are a lot of code examples, as well.

A very readable, very usable reference on the Win32 API.

Jerry

Visual Basic Developer's Guide to the Win32 API
$39.99
Despite the several negative reviews, I bought this book, hoping that the one five-star review might actually be right. However, after carefully reading through 6 chapters and browsing through the entire book, I had to agree with the negative reviews. There were no code examples on the website before Chapter 5 (the author claimed to have). The sample code for Chapter 9 Shell APIs - Launching Applications was a mess. It simply didn't realize most of the functions it claimed to be able to realize, and it had many errors (e.g., missing class modules). It seemed like the three examples in Chapter 9 were badly bundled together.There are a lot of unnecessary underscores (_ for continuation of code) in the code examples - seems to be an effort to make the book longer and sell for more money.In conclusion, this book is just an MSDN dump. And the used book price of around $3 to $4 accurately reflects it value.

Dan Appleman's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API
$59.99
This was just what I needed to develop a special VBA program with Access. The Win32 API's let you get a little closer to the Window operating system than most standard languages.