Document:

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                                                     EXHIBIT 10 (ii) (A) (xviii)

                                                                 October 17,2002

Mr. Michael Goulder

Dear Mike,

We are pleased to extend to you an offer of employment with American Greetings
as Executive Operations Officer, reporting to me. We have agreed that, if you
accept this offer, you will begin with us on a date that we will mutually
determine.

The terms of this offer are that you will:

1.       receive a base salary of $330,000 annually (less appropriate
         withholdings and deductions); this salary will be reviewed six months
         after you begin employment, and may be adjusted, as appropriate; the
         salary will be reviewed annually thereafter, and may be increased based
         on your performance;

2.       participate in the Key Management Annual Incentive Plan at the Senior
         Vice President level (35% target payout for business unit performance
         and 35% target payout for Corporate performance, with the payouts
         increased or decreased from target based on actual business unit,
         corporate and individual performance); the payout from this Plan for
         this fiscal year, if any, will be based on your actual base salary
         earnings for the fiscal year; the details of the Plan are described in
         the enclosed booklet, which is hereby incorporated into
                this letter;.

3.       participate in the American Greetings Stock Option Plan at the Senior
         Vice President level:

                  A) 20,000 options on American Greetings Class A Common Stock
                  will be granted within 30 days of the date you begin your
                  employment with American Greetings; the grant price will be
                  the closing price of the stock on the date of grant:

                           o        15,000 of these options shall vest one year
                                    from the date of grant;

<PAGE>

                           o        5,000 of these options shall vest two years
                                    from the date of grant.

                  B) 10,000 additional options will be granted annually
                  thereafter (the size of these grants may be increased or
                  decreased based an individual performance; the actual grant
                  date shall be the date approved by the Board of Directors for
                  the general grant to all employees):

                           o        5,000 options from each grant will vest one
                                    year from the date of the grant;

                           o        5,000 options from each grant will vest two
                                    years from the date of the grant.

                  C) if you separate from American Greetings before the vesting
                  of any of these options, you will forfeit any unvested
                  options, except as provided under Paragraph 8 below.

                  D) the details of this Plan are described in the enclosed
                  booklet, which is hereby incorporated into this letter; where
                  the terms of the Plan and the terms of this letter
                  specifically differ, the terms of this letter prevail.

         4. receive a supplemental grant of 40,000 stock options on American
Greetings Class A Common Stock:

         o        the grant will be made within 30 days of your employment date;
                  the grant price will be the closing price of the stock on the
                  date of grant;

         o        all 40,000 options will vest four years from the date of
                  grant; however:

                  o        if the American Greeting stock price closes at or
                           above $30 per share on any day prior to the vesting
                           date, one quarter of these options (10,000) will vest
                           immediately;

                  o        if the American Greetings stock price closes at or
                           above $35 per share on any day prior to the vesting
                           date, a second quarter (10,000) of these options will
                           vest immediately;

                  o        if the American Greetings stock price closes at or
                           above $40 per share on any day prior to the vesting
                           date, a third quarter (10,000) of these options will
                           vest immediately;

<PAGE>

                  o        if the American Greetings stock price closes at or
                           above $45 per share on any day prior to the vesting
                           date, the final quarter (10,000) of these options
                           will vest immediately;

                  o        If you separate from American Greetings before the
                           vesting of any or all of these options, you will
                           forfeit any unvested options, except as provided
                           under Paragraph 8 below.

         5. be eligible to participate in the American Greetings flexible
         benefits program, which includes such benefits as health care,
         disability and life insurance; an overview of this program is described
         in the enclosed Benefits-at-a-Glance booklet.

         6. be eligible to participate in the American Greetings Retirement
         Profit Sharing and Savings Plan; the details of this Plan are described
         in the enclosed booklet and Summary Plan Description.

         7. receive other benefits normally provided to Senior Vice Presidents,
         such as the personal use of a company automobile, and additional
         company paid life, AD&D and personal liability insurances; the details
         of these benefits as currently provided are described in the enclosed
         Executive Benefits booklet.

         8. be granted severance if:

         (a) you are involuntarily separated for reasons other than a gross
         violation of your obligation to the Corporation; a gross violation is
         defined as termination as a result of your personal dishonesty, willful
         misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit,
         intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful violation of any
         law, rule, or regulation (other than traffic violations and similar
         offenses) or final cease-and-desist order, or other behavior or actions
         that a reasonable person would conclude evidences moral turpitude;

         (b) your duties are reduced to such a level that your role is clearly
         not that of a Senior Vice President;

         (c) there is a change of control in the ownership of the Corporation;

         (d) severance granted under any of these circumstances shall be instead
         of, and not in addition to, any severance or separation benefits
         normally granted to officers; the severance granted under these
         circumstances will be:

                  (1) 12 months of base salary continuation at the rate in
                  effect at the time you are separated (which, for the purpose
                  of calculating such

<PAGE>

                  severance, will be no less than $330,000 annually);

                  (2) continued participation in the Incentive Plan at your job
                  level at the time of separation, for the fiscal year in which
                  you separate if, at the time of your separation, you have
                  completed at least six months of active employment in that
                  fiscal year (the payout ,if any, shall be based on the actual
                  payout percentage earned under your plan in that fiscal year,
                  individual performance at no less than Tier 3, and your actual
                  base salary earnings earned in that fiscal year up to your
                  separation date); payment of the incentive, if any, shall
                  occur with the payment of incentives to other Plan
                  participants;

                  (3) continued vesting of any stock options that would
                  otherwise vest during the 12 month severance period, as if you
                  were an active employee; you may exercise any vested options
                  for up to 90 days after the end of the 12 month severance
                  period;

                  (4) continued use of your company provided car for 90 days
                  after your separation date;

                  (5) participation in the company's health care and life
                  insurance programs for the 12 month severance period, as if
                  you were an active employee.

We both agree that, within 60 days of your beginning with American Greetings, we
will discuss and agree on an employment agreement that sets forth in detail the
provisions described in this offer letter, and any other terms and conditions
that we both agree are reasonable. We agree that this agreement shall contain
non-compete and confidentiality provisions, and shall include a specific
provision for mediating and arbitrating any disputes concerning the agreement. A
draft of that agreement is enclosed.

Mike, congratulations. We believe that you can make significant contributions to
our efforts. We look forward to your acceptance of this offer.

Very truly yours,

Jeff Weiss
Executive Vice President
American Greetings

encls.

cc:       Morry Weiss
            Jim Spira

Agreed and Accepted:

/s/ Michael Goulder    10-17-02
-------------------------------
Michael Goulder         Date<PAGE>

                                                       EXHIBIT 10 (ii) (A) (xix)

ZEV WEISS
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
AG VENTURES & ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT      AMERICAN GREETINGS
ONE AMERICAN ROAD
CLEVELAND, OHIO 44144-2398
216/252-7300 - FAX 216/252-6777

         August 28, 2002

         Mr. Robert P. Ryder

         Dear Bob,

         We are pleased to extend to you a revised offer of employment with
         American Greetings as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
         for American Greetings, reporting to me. You will have responsibility
         for the Corporation's Treasury, Controller, Financial Administration
         and Retailer Financial Services functions. We have agreed that you will
         begin with us on September 3,2002, and will assume full
         responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer with the departure of Bill
         Meyer, shortly after the end of the second quarter of FY 2003.

         The terms of this offer are that you will:

         1. receive a base salary of $300,000 annually (less appropriate
         withholdings and deductions); six months after you begin employment,
         your salary will be reviewed and compared to both comparable internal
         positions and to CFO positions at other comparable employers, and may
         be adjusted, as appropriate; the salary will be reviewed annually
         thereafter, and may be increased based on your performance;

         2. participate in the Key Management Annual Incentive Plan at the
         Senior Vice President level (35% target payout for business unit
         performance and 35% target payout for Corporate performance, with the
         payouts increased or decreased from target based on actual business
         unit, corporate and individual performance); the payout from this Plan
         for this fiscal year, if any, will be based on your actual base salary
         earnings for the fiscal year; the details of the Plan are described in
         the enclosed booklet, which is hereby incorporated into this letter;

         3. participate in the American Greetings Stock Option Plan at the
         Senior Vice President level:

                  A) 20,000 options on American Greetings Class A Common Stock
                  will be granted within 30 days of the date you begin your
                  employment with American Greetings; the grant price will be
                  the closing price of the stock on the date of grant:

                           o        15,000 of these options shall vest one year
                                    from the date of grant;

                           o        5,000 of these options shall vest two years
                                    from the date of grant.

                  B) 10,000 additional options will be granted annually
                  thereafter (the size of these grants may be increased or
                  decreased based on individual performance; the actual grant
                  date shall be the date approved by the Board of Directors for
                  the general grant to all employees):

                           o        5,000 options from each grant will vest one
                                    year from the date of the grant;

<PAGE>

Mr. Robert Ryder
Page 2

                           o        5,000 options from each grant will vest two
                                    years from the date of the grant.

         C) if you separate from American Greetings before the vesting of any of
         these options, you will forfeit any unvested options, except as
         provided under Paragraph 8 below.

         D) the details of this Plan are described in the enclosed booklet,
         which is hereby incorporated into this letter; where the terms of the
         Plan and the terms of this letter specifically differ, the terms of
         this letter prevail.

4. receive a supplemental grant of 40,000 stock options on American Greetings
Class A Common Stock:

                  o        the grant will be made within 30 days of your
                           employment date; the grant price will be the closing
                           price of the stock on the date of grant;

                  o        all 40,000 options will vest four years from the date
                           of grant; however:

                           o        if the American Greeting stock price closes
                                    at or above $30 per share on any day prior
                                    to the vesting date, one quarter of these
                                    options (10,000) will vest immediately;

                           o        if the American Greetings stock price closes
                                    at or above $35 per share on any day prior
                                    to the vesting date, a second quarter
                                    (10,000) of these options will vest
                                    immediately;

                           o        if the American Greetings stock price closes
                                    at or above $40 per share on any day prior
                                    to the vesting date, a third quarter
                                    (10,000) of these options will vest
                                    immediately;

                           o        if the American Greetings stock price closes
                                    at or above $45 per share on any day prior
                                    to the vesting date, the final quarter
                                    (10,000) of these options will vest
                                    immediately;

                           o        If you separate from American Greetings
                                    before the vesting of any or all of these
                                    options, you will forfeit any unvested
                                    options, except as provided under Paragraph
                                    8 below.

5. be eligible to participate in the American Greetings flexible benefits
program, which includes such benefits as health care, disability and life
insurance; an overview of this program is described in the enclosed
Benefits-at-a-Glance booklet.

6. be eligible to participate in the American Greetings Retirement Profit
Sharing and Savings Plan; the details of this Plan are described in the enclosed
booklet and Summary Plan Description.

7. receive other benefits normally provided to Senior Vice Presidents, such as
the personal use of a company automobile, and additional company paid life, AD&D
and personal liability insurances; the details of these benefits as currently
provided are described in the enclosed Executive Benefits booklet.

<PAGE>

Mr. Robert Ryder
Page 3

8. be granted severance if:

         (a) you are involuntarily separated for reasons other than a gross
         violation of your obligation to the Corporation; a gross violation is
         defined as termination as a result of your personal dishonesty, willful
         misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit,
         intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful violation of any
         law, rule, or regulation (other than traffic violations and similar
         offenses) or final cease-and-desist order, or other behavior or actions
         that a reasonable person would conclude evidences moral turpitude;

         (b) your duties are reduced to such a level that your role is clearly
         below the level you held prior to the reduction;

         (c) there is a change of control in the ownership of the Corporation;

         severance granted under any of these circumstances shall be instead of,
         and not in addition to, any severance or separation benefits normally
         granted to officers; the severance granted under these circumstances
         will be:

                           (1) 12 months of base salary at the rate in effect at
                           the time you are separated (which, for these
                           purposes, will be no less than $300,000 annually);

                           (2) continued participation in the Incentive Plan at
                           your job level at the time of separation, for the
                           fiscal year in which you separate if, at the time of
                           your separation, you have completed at least six
                           months of active employment in that fiscal year (the
                           payout, if any, shall be based on the actual payout
                           percentage earned under your plan in that fiscal
                           year, individual performance at no less than Tier 3,
                           and your actual base salary earnings earned in that
                           fiscal year up to your separation date; payment of
                           the incentive, if any, shall occur with the payment
                           of incentives to other Plan participants;

                           (3) continued vesting of any stock options that would
                           otherwise vest during the 12 month severance period;
                           as if you were an active employee;

                           (4) continued use of your company provided car for 90
                           days after your separation date;

                           (5) participation in the company's health care and
                           life insurance programs for the 12 month severance
                           period, as if you were an active employee.

9. be eligible for certain relocation benefits, as described in the enclosed
Associate-on-the-Move Policy; the highlights are:

                  (a) guaranteed sale of your principal residence in Dallas at
                  fair market value;

                  (b) if your home sells within 60 days, a cash amount equal to
                  3% of the sale price, to be used to defray the expenses of
                  buying a new home in the Cleveland area;

                  (c) real estate commission and other regular expenses incurred
                  with the sale of your principal residence in Dallas;

                  (d) reasonable temporary living expenses for you and your
                  family in the Cleveland area, for up to 6 months;

<PAGE>

Mr. Robert Ryder
Page 4

                  (e) travel expenses for no more than five trips to Cleveland
                  for you and your wife to search for a new home;

                  (f) travel expenses for a reasonable number of "commuting"
                  trips for you between Cleveland and Dallas, until your family
                  has relocated to the Cleveland area;

                  (g) moving your household goods from your principal residence

                  to the Cleveland area;

                  (h) a payment for miscellaneous expenses; if the reimbursement
                  under paragraph 9 (d) above is for more than 3 months, this
                  miscellaneous expense reimbursement shall be an amount equal
                  to one month of your base salary; if the reimbursement under
                  paragraph 9 (d) above is for 3 months or less, this
                  miscellaneous expense reimbursement shall be an amount equal
                  to two months of your base salary;

                  (i) tax gross-up for those payments and reimbursements set
                  forth above which must be declared as taxable income to you.

                  A copy of the Associate-on-the-Move Policy is included, and is
                  hereby incorporated into this letter.

We both agree that, within 60 days of your beginning with American Greetings, we
will discuss and agree on an employment agreement that sets forth in detail the
provisions described in this offer letter, and any other terms and conditions
that we both agree are reasonable. We agree that this agreement shall contain
non-compete and confidentiality provisions, and shall include a specific
provision for arbitrating any disputes concerning the agreement. A draft of that
agreement is enclosed.

This letter supercedes the previous offer letter to you dated August 15, 2002.

Bob, congratulations. We believe that you can make significant contributions to
our efforts. We look forward to your acceptance of this offer.

Very truly yours,
/s/ Zev Weiss
Zev Weiss
Executive Vice President
American Greetings

encls.

cc:      Morry Weiss
         Jim Spira

Agreed and Accepted:

/s/ Robert Ryder
------------------------
Robert Ryder       Date

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