This book assumes that you have some experience of C++ programming. You don't need to have any experience of Windows or using the Microsoft Foundation Classes, but any knowledge you have will obviously help. You should have some familiarity with using the Windows 95/98 or NT operating systems and its graphical user interface.
You can either use this book to build your knowledge of writing Windows applications in Visual C++ from the ground up, chapter by chapter, or to dip into certain chapters to explore areas of specific interest to you.