Charles Petzold has been writing about programming for Windows-based operating systems for 24 years. A Microsoft MVP for Client Application Development and a Windows Pioneer Award winner, Petzold is author of the classic Programming Windows, currently in its sixth edition and one of the best-known programming books of all time; the widely acclaimed Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software; and more than a dozen other books.
This book is huge in so many ways. Firt, it's physically huge with its 1200+ pages. It's intimidating, but it doesn't have to. Of course you have to need it to bite it. But that's what I did a long time ago with the second edition. In fact, I started my software engineering carreer with this book. And when you have to deal with the extremely complicated Windows programming using the basic API it simply save your life. And it do it with an exemplary clarity. It's a classic for a very good reason. Ma note de lecture en Français ici