Here is a book that can be judged by its cover and performs as advertised. It is not about the internals of Windows NT and it is not for end users of Windows NT. It is a valuable tutorial and reference work for the programmer who intends to develop applications for Windows NT.

First, a word about prerequisites. The book assumes, of course, that the reader has access to an installed Windows NT system. It also assumes the reader has some experience in C or C++. The authors do not assume prior experience with Windows 3.1, although that would make the book easier to digest.

Assuming you fit the profile, this book can be a valuable tool. The pace of the book is fairly leisurely; the authors do not attempt to flood the reader with information. Rather, concepts and techniques are presented with lots of narrative and examples, so that the reader has time to absorb the new material.

The book begins with a brief history of the various Windows systems and then provides an overview of some of the internals of Windows NT. The remainder of the book provides a systematic treatment of the various techniques that a Windows NT applications programmer will need. The first part of the book deals with the basics of setting up and controlling windows. Part 2 addresses the provision of resources for applications, including the creation of icons, cursors, and bitmaps, and the use of sound. This part also covers the definition of menus and dialogue boxes.

Part 3 covers the fundamentals of various graphics applications, including charting and animation. The final part deals with some more advanced techniques.

The book is clearly written, and it includes numerous worked-out programming examples. It covers the range of functions, messages, and data structures needed by the application programmer. It is a valuable addition to the basic Microsoft documentation for the Windows NT application programmer.