Bertelsmann AG

German media company. Beginning as a religious printer and publisher in 1835, the company grew steadily over the next century. Though virtually destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945, it recovered quickly after World War II. By 1998 Bertelsmann AG had grown to include more than 300 media companies, with more than half its employees in countries other than Germany. Its worldwide acquisitions have included the U.S. publishers Bantam Doubleday Dell and Random House. By the early 21st century the company was among the world's largest media conglomerates.

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