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---------------- 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 ----------------------------
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|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) |
|Smith Gary L. |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 2000 | |
| | | | Senior Vice President |
|----------------------------------------| |------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| (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 | 12/14/2000 | G | | 946 | D | $.0000| 42478 | D | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
|Common Stock | | | | | | $.0000| 12387.105 | I |401(k) Plan |
| | | | | | | | |(01)| |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
|Common Stock | 12/14/2000 | G | | 650 | A | $.0000| 4050 | I |By Wife/Cust/Mi |
| | | | | | | | | |nor Children |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
|Common Stock | 12/14/2000 | G | | 150 | A | $.0000| 1850 | I |By Daughter |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
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|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
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|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
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|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
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|-------------------------------|------------|----|----|----------------|----|---------|-----------------|----|--------------------|
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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 2
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FORM 4 (continued) TABLE II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible security)
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|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| $42.9375| | | | | | |11/30|Common Sto| 30000| | 30000| D | |
|on | | | | | | | | 2008|ck | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | (02)| | | | | | | |
|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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|----------|---------|-----|----|----|----------|----------|-----|-----|----------|----------|----------|----------|----|----------|
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Explanation of Responses:
(01) Held by the Houghton Mifflin Company 401(k) Savings Plan ("401(k) Plan"). Includes shares acquired through December 1,
2000.
(02) All shares will become exercisable on February 15, 2001, provided that the Committee administering the Houghton Mifflin
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.
**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal /s/Lois M. Novotny 12/29/2000
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
Smith, Gary L. Houghton Mifflin Company DEC-2000 PAGE: 2 OF 2
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