This handbook is a practical guide for the novice and experienced supervisor of Ph.D. students focusing on the British system. The book is organized to follow the progress of a student from starting out to a career after the viva voce examination. The chapters are: (1) "A Most Persuasive Piece of Argument"; (2) "Caught and Held by a Cobweb: Getting the Student Started"; (3) "The Balance between Tradition and Progress: Designing and Planning a Project"; (4) "Old Manuscripts: The Literature Review"; (5) "Heavy and Thankless Task: Overseeing the Data Collection"; (6) "Disagreeableness and Danger: Keeping Up the Student's Motivation"; (7) "Contorted Corkscrew: The Getting and Giving of Judgement"; (8) "An Emotional Excitement: Writing Up the Thesis"; (9) "A Lack of Genuine Interest: Choosing the Right External and Preparing the Student for the Examination"; (10) "The Brave Pretence at Confidence: Launching the Student's Career"; and (11) "A Rather Unpromising Consignment: Selecting Successful Students and Building a Research Culture." An appendix lists sources for further reading. (Contains 167 references.) (SLD)