content: <PAGE>   1
  
  
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 1994
  
                                               Registration No. 33-_____________
    ____________________________________________________________________________
  
  
                         SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, D.C.  20549
  
                             -------------------------
  
                                      FORM S-8
              REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
  
                             -------------------------
  
  
                              HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
               ------------------------------------------------------
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  
  <TABLE>
            <S>                                      <C>
                   Massachusetts                         04-1456030E
            -------------------------------          -------------------
            (State or other jurisdiction of            (I.R.S. Employer
            incorporation or organization)           Identification No.)
  </TABLE>
  
  
           222 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, 617-351-5000
           (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
              area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)
  
                            --------------------------
  
  
                              HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
                            1992 STOCK COMPENSATION PLAN
                                (Full Title of Plan)
  
  
                                PAUL D. WEAVER, ESQ.
                     Senior Vice President and General Counsel
                                222 Berkeley Street
                            Boston, Massachusetts  02116
                                    617-351-5000
             (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
                     including area code, of agent for service)
  
                           ----------------------------
  
                          Calculation of Registration Fee
  
  <TABLE>
  <CAPTION>
                                              Proposed         Proposed
                                              maximum          maximum
                                  Amount      offering         aggregate         Amount of
  Titles of securities            to be        price           offering        registration
    to be registered          registered (1)  per share         price              fee
  - --------------------        --------------  ---------        ---------       ------------
  <S>                            <C>          <C>             <C>                <C>
  Common Stock, par
  value $1.00 per share          65,000       $45.81(2)       $2,977,650         $8,635.19
  
  - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  <FN>
  (1)  Plus such additional number of shares as may be required pursuant to the plan in the 
       event of a stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar event.
  
  (2)  This estimate is made pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act solely 
       for the purpose of determining the amount of the registration fee and is based upon 
       the market value of outstanding shares of Houghton Mifflin Company Common Stock on 
       October 31, 1994, utilizing the average of the high and low sale prices reported on 
       the New York Stock Exchange on that date.                          
  </TABLE>
  
  The contents of the registrant's registration statement on Form S-8, file
  no. 33-51098, are incorporated herein by reference.
  
  <PAGE>   2
                                     SIGNATURES
  
          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
  registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
  all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
  registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
  thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston, Commonwealth of
  Massachusetts, on November 2, 1994.
  
  
  
                                              HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
  
  
  
                                              By: /s/ Nader F. Darehshori
                                                  -----------------------------
                                                  Nader F. Darehshori, Chairman
                                                  of the Board, President and
                                                  Chief Executive Officer
  
  
  <TABLE>
          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
  Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
  capacities and on the dates indicated.
  
  <CAPTION>
  SIGNATURE                                 TITLE                         DATE
  - ---------                                 -----                         ----
  <S>                                       <C>                           <C>
  Principal Executive Officer:
                                            
  /s/ Nader F. Darehshori                   Chairman of the               November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------        Board, President,                                             
  Nader F. Darehshori                       Chief Executive
                                            Officer and Director
  
  Principal Financial and Accounting
  Officer:
                                            
  /s/ Stephen O. Jaeger                     Executive Vice President,     November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------        Chief Financial Officer,                                       
  Stephen O. Jaeger                         Treasurer and Director
  
  
  Joseph A. Baute*                          Director                      November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                               
  Joseph A. Baute
  </TABLE>
  
  
  <PAGE>   3
  
  <TABLE>
  <CAPTION>
  SIGNATURE                                TITLE                 DATE
  - ---------                                -----                 ----
  <S>                                      <C>             <C>
  Gail Deegan*                             Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Gail Deegan
  
  James O. Freedman*                       Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  James O. Freedman
  
  Mary H. Lindsay*                         Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Mary H. Lindsay
  
  Charles R. Longsworth*                   Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Charles R. Longsworth
  
  John F. Magee*                           Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  John F. Magee
  
  Claudine B. Malone*                      Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Claudine B. Malone
  
  Alfred L. McDougal*                      Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Alfred L. McDougal
  
  George Putnam*                           Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  George Putnam
  
  Ralph Z. Sorenson*                       Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Ralph Z. Sorenson
  
  DeRoy C. Thomas*                         Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  DeRoy C. Thomas
  </TABLE>
  
  
  *By: /s/ Paul D. Weaver
       -----------------------------
       Attorney-in-fact
  
  <PAGE>   4
  
  <TABLE>
                                   EXHIBIT INDEX
  
  <CAPTION>
                                                              
                                                                
           Exhibit No.                Description                
           -----------                -----------             
             <S>           <C>                                  
              5            Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar   
  
             23.1          Consent of Ernst & Young             
  
             23.2          Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar
                             (included in Exhibit 5 of this
                             registration statement)
  
             24            Power of Attorney
  </TABLE>
metadata_documents: [{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "HOUGHTON MIFFLIN FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 8566}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO", "cik": "0000048638", "assigned-sic": "2731", "irs-number": "041456030", "state-of-incorporation": "MA", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "033-56283", "film-number": "94557303"}, "business-address": {"street1": "222 BERKELEY ST", "city": "BOSTON", "state": "MA", "zip": "02116-3764", "phone": "6173515000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "222 BERKELEY ST", "city": "BOSTON", "state": "MA", "zip": "02116-3764"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "HOUGHTON MIFFLIN & CO", "date-changed": "19670402"}}
text: 1
  
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 1994
  
                                               Registration No. 33-_____________
    ____________________________________________________________________________
  
                         SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, D.C.  20549
  
                             -------------------------
  
                                      FORM S-8
              REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
  
                             -------------------------
  
                              HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
               ------------------------------------------------------
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  Massachusetts                         04-1456030E
            -------------------------------          -------------------
            (State or other jurisdiction of            (I.R.S. Employer
            incorporation or organization)           Identification No.)
  222 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, 617-351-5000
           (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
              area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)
  
                            --------------------------
  
                              HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
                            1992 STOCK COMPENSATION PLAN
                                (Full Title of Plan)
  
                                PAUL D. WEAVER, ESQ.
                     Senior Vice President and General Counsel
                                222 Berkeley Street
                            Boston, Massachusetts  02116
                                    617-351-5000
             (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
                     including area code, of agent for service)
  
                           ----------------------------
  
                          Calculation of Registration Fee
  Proposed         Proposed
                                              maximum          maximum
                                  Amount      offering         aggregate         Amount of
  Titles of securities            to be        price           offering        registration
    to be registered          registered (1)  per share         price              fee
  - --------------------        --------------  ---------        ---------       ------------
  Common Stock, par
  value $1.00 per share          65,000       $45.81(2)       $2,977,650         $8,635.19
  
  - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  (1)  Plus such additional number of shares as may be required pursuant to the plan in the 
       event of a stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar event.
  
  (2)  This estimate is made pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act solely 
       for the purpose of determining the amount of the registration fee and is based upon 
       the market value of outstanding shares of Houghton Mifflin Company Common Stock on 
       October 31, 1994, utilizing the average of the high and low sale prices reported on 
       the New York Stock Exchange on that date.
  The contents of the registrant's registration statement on Form S-8, file
  no. 33-51098, are incorporated herein by reference.
  2
                                     SIGNATURES
  
          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
  registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
  all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
  registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
  thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston, Commonwealth of
  Massachusetts, on November 2, 1994.
  
                                              HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
  
                                              By: /s/ Nader F. Darehshori
                                                  -----------------------------
                                                  Nader F. Darehshori, Chairman
                                                  of the Board, President and
                                                  Chief Executive Officer
  
          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
  Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
  capacities and on the dates indicated.
  SIGNATURE                                 TITLE                         DATE
  - ---------                                 -----                         ----
  Principal Executive Officer:
                                            
  /s/ Nader F. Darehshori                   Chairman of the               November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------        Board, President,                                             
  Nader F. Darehshori                       Chief Executive
                                            Officer and Director
  
  Principal Financial and Accounting
  Officer:
                                            
  /s/ Stephen O. Jaeger                     Executive Vice President,     November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------        Chief Financial Officer,                                       
  Stephen O. Jaeger                         Treasurer and Director
  
  Joseph A. Baute*                          Director                      November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                               
  Joseph A. Baute
  3
  SIGNATURE                                TITLE                 DATE
  - ---------                                -----                 ----
  Gail Deegan*                             Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Gail Deegan
  
  James O. Freedman*                       Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  James O. Freedman
  
  Mary H. Lindsay*                         Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Mary H. Lindsay
  
  Charles R. Longsworth*                   Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Charles R. Longsworth
  
  John F. Magee*                           Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  John F. Magee
  
  Claudine B. Malone*                      Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Claudine B. Malone
  
  Alfred L. McDougal*                      Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Alfred L. McDougal
  
  George Putnam*                           Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  George Putnam
  
  Ralph Z. Sorenson*                       Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  Ralph Z. Sorenson
  
  DeRoy C. Thomas*                         Director        November 2, 1994
  - ----------------------------------                                
  DeRoy C. Thomas
  *By: /s/ Paul D. Weaver
       -----------------------------
       Attorney-in-fact
  4
  
                                   EXHIBIT INDEX
  Exhibit No.                Description                
           -----------                -----------
  5            Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar   
  
             23.1          Consent of Ernst & Young             
  
             23.2          Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar
                             (included in Exhibit 5 of this
                             registration statement)
  
             24            Power of Attorney