Fred,
Think of variations in sign books as being similar to variations in word choices.  In English we have the words: sofa, couch, chaise lounge, chesterfield, davenport, daybed, divan, lounge, ottoman, and settee. (I didn't know all of those, heh, I used a Thesaurus.) The important thing is not to let worrying about which sign is right slow down your progress.  My advice is if you see two signs that are different, try to ask a Deaf person which version he or she sees used most often in your area.  If you don't have access to a local Deaf person, then you are going to have to make an informed guess by comparing two or three dictionaries and seeing which version of the sign seems to show up most often.  If you get three different dictionaries, with three different signs, try to see which sign looks most like the concept you are trying to express.  For example, there is a version of the sign for towel that looks like someone drying the back of their neck by pulling the towel from side to side behind their neck.  There is another sign for towel that looks like you are drying your mouth.  Using logic I'd deduce that when talking about a bath towel I'd use the first sign, and when talking about a paper towel or napkin I'd use the second sign.
Then later while interacting with Deaf people, if you notice they seem to consistently do a sign differently than you have learned from a book--it will be time for you to abandon your sign and adopt the one you see used in the community.
Cordially,
Dr. Bill

Dr. Vicars, You speak of Deaf culture and the different levels of immersion.  Here is a question for you.  I know a teen (we'll call her Suzy) who was born deaf and has an implant.  She is not allowed an interpreter for school and she reads lips pretty darn good.  She can read, speak, and write in English.  When I sign to her she doesn't seem to use the right signs for the meaning she is trying to convey.  Is it possible that she isn't Deaf, culturally speaking?  Is that possible?  Should I correct her mistakes or add them to my "Suzy" vocabulary? My adult Deaf friends notice her mistakes and are confused by her signs.  Is it perhaps just that she is juvenile? Thank you, Melanie

There is an essay on your site [Lifeprint.com] written by Bethany Polley about Gallaudet and I wanted to read it to my ASL class.  May I?  I liked it better than the others and wanted to share it with my students.  I was going to tell them the authors name and the website where I found it.  Would this be acceptable?  Melanie

Good Morning Bill,
...I've always wanted to sign and know a little via my parents who signed (finger spelling only) so I wouldn't know what they were saying, ... 
How do you sign the word, worthy?
Kimberly B.

Hi Bill,   I am an engineer in Dallas, Texas and have been using the fingerspelling quiz at http://asl.ms/ to practice letter recognition.  I have a deaf co-worker that I like to communicate with using fingerspelling when possible so the site has been very helpful.  I want to bring to your attention that it did surprise (and disturb) me with one of the words it used in a quiz - the word was "f_cking".  Maybe in New York that word is simply an adjective, but here in the South (and I hope in Sacramento) that word is worthy of an "R" rating and is not socially acceptable.  Anyhow, I don't know what dictionary or list the quiz pulls words from, but I wanted you to be aware of that one and again I thank you for the site, it has been most helpful for a novice like myself.   Sincerely, Eric Ratzman

Aaron,
I'll post your message to the next newsletter. (I might not be able to track down Marta, so let's hope she still reads the newsletter. Marta, Aaron's email address is: meetmeinzion@hotmail.com)
Bill