white dwarf stars, both as i- lated stars in the ?eld and as members ofinteracting binary systems. Much of thisadvance has come from theavailabilityof spacecraftobservations from missions like HST T T, IU UE, ROSAT T, EXOSAT T, Chandra, ORFEUS, EUVE, HUT T T, and FUSE. The discovery of thousandsof new white dwarfs from a number oflarge surveys and thepotential of theSloan Digital SkySurvey have added impetus to the ?eld. Studies ofinteracting binaries such as classical novae, supersoft X-ray bi- ries, symbiotic variables, dwarf novae and nova-like objects have revealed the diff ferences between thethermal evolution of singleand close binary systems aswell as heightenedinterest in these systems as progenitors of the cosmol- ically important Type I supernovae. A more speculative question is whether classical novae can beunderstood well enough that theymight provide another kind of standard candle.