Hello Hank! Glad you are here!!
You asked a great and very important question: "In the book, Brian warns strongly against buying a bow that's to heavy from the outset. I guess question one is, "What's a good draw weight to start with?"
One thing you can do if you haven't already is to follow the link on the "new to trad archery" at the top of the PowWow forum. Rob has put together a lot of good info that should help to get you going in the right direction.
When you have ingested that stuff, come on back and the Gang will most certainly walk you down the road in the right direction.
If you can get away for a day, you might run up to the Michigan Trad Expo in Kalamazoo. There you will find a great combination of expertise and equipment. It will open your eyes and probably generate more questions. Best thing is you can shoot a ton of different bows and the bowyers there. At least you can get a feel for the draw weight you can comfortably work with.
Don't be in a hurry!! Try to find a good used bow for your trainer..there are lots of 'em on sale here in the classifieds.
See you around!