Hello-
RM0008 is the Reference Manual for STM32F103xx family (and other) advanced ARM-based 32-bit MCUs.
It is currently in Rev 13 (May 2011) and 1093 pages long.
An indirect link to the PDF (13902.pdf) is located here:
http://leaflabs.com/docs/hardware/maple.html#recommended-reading
I hope his manual answers many of your questions and provides inspiration for new projects!
Stephen from NYC (full disclosure: I am not a member of the LeafLabs staff)