<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ---------------- U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ----------------------------
|F O R M 4| Washington, D.C. 20549 | OMB APPROVAL |
- ---------------- |--------------------------|
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP |OMB Number 3235-0287|
[ ] Check this box if |Expires: September 30,1998|
no longer Subject Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, |Estimated ave. burden |
to Section 16. Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or |hours per response.....0.5|
Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act 1940 ----------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1.Name and Address of Reporting Person* |2.Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol |6.Relationship of Reporting Person to |
| | | Issuer (Check all Applicable) |
|Strothman Wendy |Houghton Mifflin Company | |
| | of Reporting Person | Year |---(give title below) ---(Specify below)|
| | | Director 10% Owner |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|--- --- |
| (Last) (First) (MI)|3.IRS or Soc. Sec. No. |4.Statement for Month/ | X Officer Other |
| | of Reporting Person | Year |---(give title below) ---(Specify below)|
| 222 Berkeley Street | (Voluntary) | | |
| | | December 1998 | Executive Vice President |
| | | | Trade & Reference Division |
|----------------------------------------| |------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| (Street) | |5.If Amendment, Date of |7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing |
| | | Original (Month/Year) | (Check Applicable Line) |
| | | | |
|Boston MA 02116 | | | X Form filed by One Reporting Person |
| | | |--- |
| | | | Form filed by More than One |
| | | |--- Reporting Person |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| (City) (State) (Zip) |
| TABLE I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of or Beneficially Owned |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|1.Title of Security |2.Transac- |3.Trans. |4.Security Acquired (A) or |5.Amount of |6. |7.Nature of Indirect|
| (Instr. 3) | tion Date | Code | Disposed of (D) | Securities |Own.| Beneficial |
| |(Mon/Day/Yr)|(Instr.8)| (Instr. 3, 4 & 5) | Beneficially |Form| Ownership |
| | |---------|-------------------------------| Owned at End of|(D) | (Instr. 4) |
| | | | | |(A) | | Month |or | |
| | |Code| V | Amount |(D) | Price | (Instr. 3 & 4) |(I) | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
|<S> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |
|Common Stock | | | | | | $.0000| 22966 | D | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
|Common Stock | | | | | | $.0000| 990.871 | I |401(k) Plan |
| | | | | | | | |(01)| |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class securities owned directly or indirectly. SEC 1474 (7-96)
*If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
PAGE: 1 OF 3
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FORM 4 (continued) TABLE II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible security)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1.Title of|2.Conver-|3. |4.Tran- |5.Number of |6.Date |7.Title and Amount |8.Price of|9.Number |10. |11.Nature |
|Derivative|sion or |Trans| saction| Derivative |Exercisable| of Underlying |Derivative| of |Own.| of |
|Security |Exercise |Date | Code | Securities |and | Securities |Security |Derivative|Form|Indirect |
|(Instr. 3)|Price of |(Mon/|(Instr.8)| Acquired (A) or |Expiration | (Instr. 3 & 4) |(Instr. 5)|Securities|of |Beneficial|
| |Deriva- | Day/| | Disposed of (D) |Date | | |Benefi- |Deri|Ownership |
| |tive |Year)| | (Instr. 3, 4 & 5) |(Month/Day/| | |cially |Sec.|(Instr. 4)|
| |Security | | | | Year) | | |Owned at |Dir.| |
| | | | | |-----------|---------------------| |End of |(D) | |
| | | | | | | | |Amount or | |Month |or | |
| | | |---------|---------------------|Date |Exp. | Title |Number of | |(Instr. 4)|Ind.| |
| | | |Code| V | (A) | (D) |Exbl.|Date | |Shares | | |(I) | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
|<S> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |
|Stock Opti| $24.7500| | | | | | |09/12|Common Sto| 12000| | 12000| D | |
|on | | | | | | | | 2000|ck | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | (02)| | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
|Stock Opti| $21.3750| | | | | | |10/23|Common Sto| 8000| | 8000| D | |
|on | | | | | | | | 2000|ck | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | (03)| | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
|Stock Opti| $20.8125| | | | | | |01/29|Common Sto| 30000| | 30000| D | |
|on | | | | | | | | 2001|ck | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | (04)| | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
|Stock Opti| |12/01| A | V | 30000| | |11/30|Common Sto| 30000| | 30000| D | |
|on | | 1998| | | | | | 2008|ck | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |(05)| | | | (05)| | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation of Responses:
(01) Held by the Houghton Mifflin Company 401(k) Savings Plan ("401(k) Plan"). Includes shares acquired through December 31,
1998.
(02) Granted under the Houghton Mifflin Company 1995 Stock Compensation Plan in a transaction exempt under old Rule 16b-3. C
urrently exercisable as to 9,600 shares;2,400 shares will become exercisable on September 13, 1999.
(03) Granted under the Houghton Mifflin Company 1995 Stock Compensation Plan in a transaction exempt under old Rule 16b-3. C
urrently exercisable as to 6,400 shares 1,600 shares will become exercisable on October 24, 1999.
(04) Granted under the Houghton Mifflin Company 1995 Stock Compensation Plan in a transaction exempt under old Rule 16b-3. C
urrently exercisable as to 18,000 shares6,000 shares will become exercisable on each of January 30, 1999, and January 30
, 2000.
(05) All shares will become exercisable on February 15, 2001, provided that the Committee administering the Houghton Mifflin
**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal /s/Wendy Strothman 01/14/1999
Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). ------------------------------------------ ----------
**Signature of Reporting Person Date
Note: File three copies of this form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. SEC 1474 (7-96)
Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not
required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMD Number
Strothman, Wendy Houghton Mifflin Company DEC-1998 PAGE: 2 OF 3
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
E X P L A N A T I O N O F R E S P O N S E S (cont.) F O R M 4
<S> <C> <C>
cont. (05) Company 1998 Stock Compensation Plan determines on or prior to that date that the Company has attained stated financi
al goals by December 31, 2000; otherwise, 10,000 shares will become exercisable on each of December 1, 2002; December 1,
2003, and December 1, 2004.
Strothman, Wendy Houghton Mifflin Company DEC-1998 PAGE: 3 OF 3
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
