SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C.  20549
                                   FORM 10-Q


      QUARTERLY  REPORT  PURSUANT TO  SECTION 13  OR  15(d) OF  THE SECURITIES
      EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



      For the Quarter Ended                     January 31, 1996            
       
      Commission File Number                         1-4925                 
       
               
                               HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.                        
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)          



                 Delaware                                   04-1619609  
      (State or other jurisdiction of                     (I.R.S. Employer
      incorporation or organization)                      Identification No.)



      27 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA                             02167 
      (Address of principal executive offices)                     (Zip Code)




                                (617)232-8200                         
             (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


Indicate  by check  mark  whether the  registrant (1)  has  filed all  reports
required to be  filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934  during the  preceding 12  months (or  for such  shorter period  that the
registrant was required  to file such  reports), and (2)  has been subject  to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days.


            YES   X           NO       



As of March 8, 1996,  the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's
classes of common stock was:


          Class                                           Shares Outstanding 

Common Stock, $1.00 Par Value                                 50,243,321
Class B Stock, $1.00 Par Value                                20,801,956
                                                                      
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                                                                      <PAGE>


                            HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.

                                   I N D E X




Part I.     Financial Information                               Page Number

  Item 1.   Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of
              January 31, 1996 and October 31, 1995                     1  

            Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the
              Three Months Ended January 31, 1996 and 1995              2  

            Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the
              Three Months Ended January 31, 1996 and 1995              3  

            Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements        4  

  Item 2.   Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
              Condition and Results of Operations                      5-8 



Part II.    Other Information

  Item 6.   Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K                            9  

Signatures                                                             10  


Exhibit 11.1                                                           11  

Exhibit 27.1                                                           12  

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      <PAGE>
<TABLE>

                                        HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.
                                 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                              (UNAUDITED)

<CAPTION>
(In thousands)

                                                         January 31,    October 31,
                                                                1996           l995
Assets
<S>                                                      <C>            <C>
Current assets:
  Cash and equivalents                                   $  293,200     $  363,750 
  Short-term investments                                    300,823        243,073 
  Accounts receivable, net                                  337,133        372,700 
  Inventories                                               616,042        495,222 
  Deferred income taxes                                      79,083         79,083 
  Other current assets                                       63,632         55,970 
    Total current assets                                  1,689,913      1,609,798 

Property and equipment, net                                 552,301        540,347 

Other assets:                                                     
  Prepublication costs, net                                 171,284        164,449 
  Intangible assets, net                                    466,520        442,566 
  Other                                                     141,107        127,176 
    Total other assets                                      778,911        734,191 

    Total assets                                         $3,021,125     $2,884,336 

Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
  Notes payable and current maturities of
    long-term liabilities                                $  109,428     $   55,484 
  Accounts payable                                          314,136        284,481 
  Accrued liabilities                                       322,340        334,479 
  Taxes payable                                              41,754         58,104 
  Other current liabilities                                 123,073         52,423 
    Total current liabilities                               910,731        784,971 

Long-term liabilities:
  Notes and debentures                                      822,061        749,008 
  Other long-term liabilities                               212,143        210,846 
    Total long-term liabilities                           1,034,204        959,854 

Deferred income taxes                                       198,398        198,398 

Shareholders' equity:
  Preferred stock                                             1,181          1,210 
  Common stock                                               71,045         72,699 
  Paid-in capital                                           728,010        727,285 
  Cumulative translation adjustments                         (7,002)        (5,166)
  Retained earnings                                          84,558        145,085 
    Total shareholders' equity                              877,792        941,113 

    Total liabilities and shareholders' equity           $3,021,125     $2,884,336 


See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
</TABLE>

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<TABLE>


                                        HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.
                             CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
                                              (UNAUDITED)

<CAPTION>
(In thousands except
 for per share amounts)                                 
                                                              For the three months 
                                                               ended January 31,   
                                                                  1996        1995 

<S>                                                           <C>         <C> 
Revenues                                                      $698,441    $663,309 

Costs applicable to revenues                                   418,240     398,697 
Selling, general and administrative expenses                   235,279     222,933 
Corporate expenses                                               7,403       9,018 

Operating earnings                                              37,519      32,661 

Investment income                                                8,174      11,124 
Interest expense                                               (20,455)    (22,802)

Earnings from continuing operations before
  income taxes                                                  25,238      20,983 

Income taxes                                                    (8,581)     (7,383)

Earnings from continuing operations                             16,657      13,600 

Loss from discontinued operations, net                              -       (1,804)

Net earnings                                                  $ 16,657    $ 11,796 
Weighted average number of common and common 
  equivalent shares outstanding                                 73,360      79,802 

Earnings per common share:
  Earnings from continuing operations                         $    .23    $    .17 
  Loss from discontinued operations                                  -        (.02)
  Net earnings                                                $    .23    $    .15 

Dividends per share:
  Common Stock                                                $    .17    $    .16 
  Class B Stock                                               $   .153    $   .144 
  Series A Stock                                              $  .1945    $  .1835 










See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
</TABLE>

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<TABLE>
                                        HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.
                            CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                              (UNAUDITED)

<CAPTION>
(In thousands)

                                                            For the three months  
                                                              ended January 31,   
                                                               1996           1995 

<S>                                                        <C>            <C>
Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net earnings from continuing operations                  $ 16,657       $ 13,600 
  Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to
    net cash provided by operating activities:
       Depreciation and amortization                         40,641         41,991 
       Other items                                            4,070            (83)
Changes in assets and liabilities:
         Accounts receivable                                 34,834         20,161 
         Inventories                                       (121,801)       (92,124)
         Other current assets                                (7,712)         4,540 
         Current liabilities                                 73,539         28,020 
                                                             40,228         16,105 
Discontinued operating activities                                -             527 

Net cash provided by operating activities                    40,228         16,632 

Cash flows from investing activities:
  Capital expenditures                                      (56,917)       (43,726)
  Purchase of short-term investments                        (57,750)      (266,984)
  Acquisitions                                              (15,560)            -  
  Other investing activities                                (25,589)            -  

Net cash used by investing activities                      (155,816)      (310,710)

Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from borrowings, net                             124,400         81,500 
  Repayment of debt                                            (340)          (300)
  Cash dividends paid                                       (12,083)       (12,392)
  Repurchase of Common Stock                                (66,806)            -  
  Other financing activities                                   (133)        (1,447)

Net cash provided by financing activities                    45,038         67,361 

Cash and equivalents
  Decrease during the period                                (70,550)      (226,717)
  Beginning balance                                         363,750        819,659 

  Ending balance                                           $293,200       $592,942 








See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
</TABLE>

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                            HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.

             NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                  (UNAUDITED)


1.  Basis of presentation

    The condensed consolidated financial statements of Harcourt  General, Inc.
    (the  Company) are submitted in response to  the requirements of Form 10-Q
    and  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  consolidated  financial
    statements in the Company's  Annual Report on  Form 10-K.  In  the opinion
    of management, these  statements contain all adjustments, consisting  only
    of  normal recurring  accruals, necessary for  a fair  presentation of the
    results  for  the  interim  periods  presented.    The  January  31,  1996
    condensed consolidated  financial statements include  the October 28, l995
    condensed consolidated  financial statements of  The Neiman Marcus  Group,
    Inc. (NMG), which were filed with  the Securities and Exchange  Commission
    on Form 10-Q.   The Company owns approximately  67% of the fully-converted
    equity of NMG.

    The Company's  businesses are  seasonal in  nature,  and historically  the
    results  of operations for  these periods have not  been indicative of the
    results for the full year.

2.  Discontinued operations

    On June  30, 1995,  NMG sold its  Contempo Casuals subsidiary  to The  Wet
    Seal,  Inc. (Wet Seal) for approximately  250,000 shares of Wet Seal Class
    A  common  stock  and  $100,000  in  cash.    The loss  from  discontinued
    operations  recorded in  the quarter  ended  October  29, 1994  is net  of
    applicable  income tax  benefits  of $1.3  million.   Revenues  related to
    discontinued  Contempo Casuals  operations for  the thirteen  week  period
    ended October 29, 1994 were $57.3 million.


3.  Stock purchase programs

    In April 1995,  the Company completed a   Dutch Auction  tender offer  and
    purchased approximately 5.4 million shares of  the Company s Common  Stock
    at $40.50 per share.

    In  May 1995, the Company's Board of  Directors authorized the purchase of
    up to  2.5 million  shares  of the  Company's  Common  Stock on  the  open
    market.  During the quarter ended January 31, 1996, the  Company purchased
    approximately 1.7  million shares at an average  price of $39.18 per share
    under this buyback program.

    In March 1996, the Company's Board of  Directors authorized an increase in
    the existing open  market stock purchase program  from 2.5 million to  3.5
    million shares of the Company's Common Stock.







[Page]                                 4<PAGE>







                            HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.

          MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                           AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

                             Results of Operations

Three Months Ended January 31, 1996 versus Three Months Ended January 31, 1995

The following table illustrates revenues and operating earnings (loss) by
business segment for the three months ended January 31.
                                                                  
(In thousands)                                1996           1995 
Revenues:
  Publishing                              $177,028       $168,490 
  Specialty retailing                      489,898        462,322 
  Professional services                     31,515         32,497 
    Total revenues                        $698,441       $663,309 

Operating earnings (loss):
  Publishing                             ($ 11,334)     ($ 11,901)
  Specialty retailing                       52,742         49,442 
  Professional services                      3,514          4,138 
  Corporate expenses                        (7,403)        (9,018)
    Total operating earnings              $ 37,519       $ 32,661 

Publishing

Publishing revenues increased $8.5 million or 5.1% compared to the same period
last  year.   The increase  was primarily  due to  higher college  and testing
program  sales at the  educational publishing  group. College  sales increased
across substantially  all of its  disciplines, while testing  program revenues
were higher because  of the  Assessment Systems, Inc.  acquisition, which  was
completed in the third quarter of fiscal 1995.  

The publishing operating loss decreased  slightly to $11.3 million compared to
$11.9 million in the  same period last year.  The operating loss was less than
anticipated  in the quarter  due to improved earnings  in the college business
and  a smaller than expected loss in the elementary business.  The scientific,
technical, medical and professional (STMP) publishing group reported operating
earnings that were slightly lower than the 1995 quarter. 

Specialty Retailing

Specialty retailing  results are  reported with  a lag  of one  quarter.   The
operating results of The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. (NMG) for the quarter ended
October 28, 1995 were  consolidated with the operating results of  the Company
for the quarter ended January 31, 1996.

In June 1995, NMG  sold its Contempo Casuals subsidiary to The  Wet Seal, Inc.
NMG's  fiscal 1995 results have been restated to reflect Contempo Casuals as a
discontinued operation.

Specialty  retailing revenues  in the  thirteen weeks  ended October  28, 1995
increased $27.6  million or  6.0% over revenues  in the  thirteen weeks  ended
October 29, 1994.   Higher revenues at Neiman  Marcus Stores more than  offset
slightly  lower revenues at Bergdorf  Goodman and NM Direct.   The increase in
revenues  at  Neiman Marcus  Stores  was due  to both  comparable  store sales
increases of 6.1% and the opening of a new store in Short Hills, New Jersey in
August 1995. 

[Page]                                 5<PAGE>


                            HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.

          MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                           AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Specialty Retailing Continued

The 6.7%  increase in specialty  retailing operating earnings  was principally
due to higher  revenues and lower sales  promotion costs, partially  offset by
lower finance  charge income.  The  reduction in finance charge  income during
the  quarter resulted  from the  securitization of  the Company's  credit card
receivables, which  was completed in  March 1995.  The  securitization had the
effect of reducing finance charge  income by approximately $4.8 million during
the quarter ended October 28, 1995.

Professional Services

Professional services  revenues decreased  3.0% to $31.5  million in  the 1996
first quarter from $32.5 million in 1995.  The decrease was principally due to
lower pricing as a result of increased competition.

Professional services  operating earnings  decreased $0.6 million  compared to
the same period in the prior year.  The decrease was primarily attributable to
lower revenues and slightly higher general and administrative expenses.

Investment Income

Investment income  decreased $3.0  million to $8.2  million from  the previous
year.  The decrease was primarily due to a  reduction in the portfolio balance
as a result of the Company's common stock purchase program  which commenced in
April 1995 and, to a lesser extent, a lower rate of return on portfolio assets
compared to the first quarter of 1995.

Interest Expense

Interest expense  decreased $2.3 million to $20.5 million compared to the same
period last  year.   The  decrease  was  mainly due  to  the use  of  the  NMG
securitization proceeds to pay down outstanding NMG bank debt.

Income Tax Expense

The  Company's  effective tax  rate  is expected  to  be 34%  in  fiscal 1996,
unchanged from  fiscal 1995. 









[Page]                                6<PAGE>



                            HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.

          MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                           AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

                        Liquidity and Capital Resources


The  following   discussion  analyzes  liquidity  and   capital  resources  by
operating, investing  and financing activities  as presented in  the Company's
condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.

Cash  provided by operating activities for  the quarter ended January 31, 1996
was $40.2 million.  The publishing and professional services business segments
provided  $133.8 million of cash  from operations while  NMG's operations used
$93.6 million of  cash.  The cash provided by  the publishing and professional
services business  segments  was sufficient  to  fund their  working  capital,
capital  expenditures and the Company's  dividend requirements.  NMG increased
its  borrowings  in order  to  fund working  capital  for the  holiday season,
capital expenditures and its preferred dividend requirements.

The  most  significant items  affecting working  capital  were an  increase in
inventories of $121.8 million,  which was partially offset by a  $73.5 million
increase in other current liabilities and a $34.8 million decrease in accounts
receivable.  The  increase in  inventory was primarily  attributable to  NMG's
holiday  season.   Other current liabilities  were higher due  to the seasonal
increase  in  unearned  subscriptions at  the  STMP  group.    A  decrease  in
publishing accounts receivable was partially offset by an increase at NMG. 

Cash flows used  by investing activities  were $155.8 million for  the quarter
ended January 31, 1996.   The Company's investing activities  included capital
expenditures totaling $56.9  million.  Publishing capital  expenditures in the
1996  quarter  totaled   $31.2  million  and   were  principally  related   to
expenditures for prepublication costs.  Capital expenditures in the publishing
business are expected to approximate $150.0 million in fiscal 1996.  Specialty
retailing capital expenditures in  the 1996 quarter totaled $24.8  million and
were principally related to the construction of new stores in King of Prussia,
Pennsylvania and Paramus, New  Jersey and a new national  distribution center.
Capital expenditures for NMG in fiscal 1996 are expected to approximate $100.0
million.

During  the  quarter,  the  Company  purchased  $57.8  million  of  short-term
investments.  These  securities are  highly liquid and  consist of  commercial
paper,  certificates  of deposit,  corporate  securities  and U.S.  Government
securities.  In November 1995, the Company also acquired an additional 831,400
shares of NMG common stock in a privately negotiated transaction at $18.75 per
share.

Financing  activities reflect  additional borrowings  of $124.4  million under
NMG's revolving credit agreements, the repurchase of approximately 1.7 million
shares of the Company s Common Stock on the open market at an average price of
$39.18 per share and the payment of $12.1 million of dividends. 

At January 31, 1996, the Company had available the entire $400.0 million under
its revolving credit agreement with thirteen banks.  This agreement expires in
December 1999.  NMG had $305.0 million available at October 28, 1995 under its
revolving credit facility, which expires in April 2000.

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                            HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.

          MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                           AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

                  Liquidity and Capital Resources, continued


The Company believes its cash on hand, cash generated from  operations and its
current  and future  debt capacity  will  be sufficient  to  fund its  planned
capital growth as well as its operating and dividend requirements.















































[Page]                                 8<PAGE>



                                    PART II





Item 6.   Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K.

          (a) Exhibits.

              11.1  Computation  of   weighted   average  number   of   shares
                    outstanding used in determining  primary and fully diluted
                    earnings per share.

              27.1  Financial data schedule


          (b) Reports on Form 8-K.

              The  Company did  not file any  reports on  Form 8-K  during the
              quarter ended January 31, 1996





































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                                  SIGNATURES




Pursuant to  the  requirements of  the Securities  Exchange Act  of 1934,  the
registrant has  duly caused  this report  to be  signed on its  behalf by  the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                                                               
                                        HARCOURT GENERAL, INC.
  

                                                                              
Date:  March 13, 1996                   s/ John R. Cook
                                        John R. Cook
                                        Senior Vice President and
                                        Chief Financial Officer



Date:  March 13, 1996                   s/ Stephen C. Richards
                                        Stephen C. Richards
                                        Vice President and Controller
                                        Principal Accounting Officer































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