Vault's Scoop
ABOUT THIS COMPANY:
Most people have heard of Random House or BMG - it's practically impossible to be a book or music lover and not to know of either company. Both are regarded as media giants, solid players in a day and age where customers are more likely to download a song or book for free than to step into a store and purchase music and words in hard copy. What many people aren't aware of, however, is that the company behind these titans is Bertelsmann. Based in Gersloh, in the Westphalia region of Germany, Bertelsmann was founded in 1835 by a printer named Carl Bertelsmann. Religion has often been the impetus behind the creation of art and the first printing presses, and Carl Bertelsmann followed this tradition, launching his press as a way of supporting Protestant movements of the time. The press initially published hymns and Christian teachings.
