Rating: 
Summary: OUTDATED AND WRONG APPROACH
Review: "The Joy of Signing: The Illustrated Guide for Mastering Sign Language and the Manual Alphabet" is an "OK" book. Once you get past Chapter 1, the signs have numerous meanings (5 or 6 words mean the same sign -- happy, joyful, glad, blissful, delighted, and merry all for one sign -- which wouldn't be too bad, until you get to the workbooks) and some of the signs are very similar visually. I am torn whether to recommend this or not -- it's a 50/50 chance whether you'll like it or not.
Rating: 
Summary: Not good, but not bad.
Review: "The Joy of Signing: The Illustrated Guide for Mastering Sign Language and the Manual Alphabet" is an "OK" book. Once you get past Chapter 1, the signs have numerous meanings (5 or 6 words mean the same sign -- happy, joyful, glad, blissful, delighted, and merry all for one sign -- which wouldn't be too bad, until you get to the workbooks) and some of the signs are very similar visually. I am torn whether to recommend this or not -- it's a 50/50 chance whether you'll like it or not.
Rating:
Summary: The popularity of ASL owes a lot to this book. . .
Review: . . . However, Joy of Signing does not present ASL (American Sign Lanuage) as much as signed Enlish. This may not mean a lot to many people - signing is signing, right?No. ASL is a real language with its own grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Signed English is not. Signed English is a pidgin language which borrows much from ASL but attempts to communicate in English. Many deaf people will be able to communicate with you, using signed English, but many others will not. Mostly, communicating in signed English has the potential to be akward for all involved, as nobody in the conversation will be communicating in their native language.
Rating:
Summary: The popularity of ASL owes a lot to this book. . .
Review: . . . However, Joy of Signing does not present ASL (American Sign Lanuage) as much as signed Enlish. This may not mean a lot to many people - signing is signing, right? No. ASL is a real language with its own grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Signed English is not. Signed English is a pidgin language which borrows much from ASL but attempts to communicate in English. Many deaf people will be able to communicate with you, using signed English, but many others will not. Mostly, communicating in signed English has the potential to be akward for all involved, as nobody in the conversation will be communicating in their native language.
Rating: 
Summary: Joy of Signing
Review: Best book of its kind. Recommended by my signing instructor
Rating:
Summary: Great for Beginners
Review: Buyer beware--if you are looking for an ASL book, do not get this one. However, I think this is an absolutely perfect first book for hearing people who desire an introduction to sign language. Of course, it shouldn't be the only reference used, but it is a wonderful place to start. It was my very first sign language book that I requested as a whim for a Christmas present, and thus absolutely fell in love with sign language. The reason I say it's great for hearing people is because the signs are very English-based, so it might be easier for hearing people to pick up than total immersion into ASL. I absolutely believe it is a great place to start for those who wish to learn ASL later on. The book has some of the best pictures (tho there are a few that are pretty ambiguous), great explanations of hand movements, and wonderful hints to remember each sign. A great first book. :)
Rating:
Summary: The Joy of singning
Review: GREAT BOOK! YOU WANT TO LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE? YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS BOOK!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A very useful tool
Review: I am a beginner to sign language, but I have found the Joy of Signing to be the most useful book of all the ones I've seen. The pictures are very well drawn (much better than my dictionary or the other teaching books I own). I like the division by catetory rather than the dictionary format, because it is often easier to learn related words together. The index in the back makes finding the word you want very simple. Remembering new signs is easier because the origin of almost every sign is listed, and these work as memory aids. I have been learning sign language for a year, and although I have never taken a class and am therefore not very good, nearly every word I do know has come from this book. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: The Joy of Signing
Review: I am a beginner to this form of language. I think this book is very easy to understand and is very clear and well illustrated. I would really recommend this!
Rating: 
Summary: WARNING: Do NOT buy!
Review: I am a graduate of Deaf Studies,I have many Deaf friends, and co-ordinate a Deaf Club/Social. While attending college I would use signs from this book with my Deaf friends and they would look at me as if I had three heads. I would have to fingerspell to them which in turn they would correct my previous sign and ask from where did I learned it. When I told them, ALL informed me to throw the book out. They are OUT-DATE signs!
When learning sign, buy DawnSign Press, Vista, Signing Naturally (both video and workbook). These are the best and extremely accurate (a few signs are California dialect). Another book that's great is Sign Language Made Simple. Don't forget either, that the BEST way to learn the language (outside of schooling) is becoming involved in the Deaf commnuity!!!! Learn from the masters!
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