From scanning through the Dr. Atkins book several times (I've read as much as I can straight through but I find the style annoying)....it appears to me that ANY sugar is worse than a few carbs.
Is this correct?
I guess what I am getting at is I am trying my darndest to avoid anything that even hints of sugar content (like my favorite A-1 steak sauce) but would rather have two Tbsp. of that than 10 carbs if it were okay to do so.
My impression has been that it is necessary to keep the body starved of sugars in order to keep the fat burning????????

Yes, you need to stay away from all sugars in order to keep the fat burning. As you move on into the different phases of Atkins you can introduce certain sugars back into your diet but in induction you should have no sugars or sugar substitutes.

There is little difference between sugar and carbs, they are one and the same thing. Refined sugar is just an energy source with no other nutrients and hence your body does not really need it. Carbs from starchy foods are still sugar in a different form, but those from unrefined sources are less harmful, but on this way of life you steer clear of most carbs and sugars, vegetables excepted, as if you have to many you will no longer be in fat burning mode and your body will switch to fat storing mode which I know I don't want. The choice is up to you!

I don't think that's quite accurate enough, Anne.

Carbohydrates all have varying degrees of effect on blood sugar and insulin production. These are comparatively ranked against dextrose, and is called a "Glycemic Index".

Full on sugars typically have glycemic indices of 95-100. High Fructose Corn Syrup is even higher.

The lower on the glycemic index a carbohydrate is, the less of an insulin reaction you will have to it, and, as far as Atkins is concerned, the better it is for you.

That's why berries are OK on OWL but an equivalent amount of pineapple is NOT.

Hogarth