Indeed, the programmer's reference guide was needed if you really wanted to understand the machine. The user manual had an introduction to basic as far as I can

Indeed, the programmer's reference guide was needed if you really wanted to understand the machine. The user manual had an introduction to basic as far as I can remember :) Some kind soul has scanned it: http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Commodore/C64%20Programmer%27s%20Reference%20Guide.pdf http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Commodore/C64%20Programme...