Random House buys publisher

Random House Inc. has acquired the evangelical Christian book-publishing house Multnomah Publishers, a move that reaffirms the growing mainstream popularity of religious books.

“There is an enormous market and it is a growth market,” Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said. “We believe that it is a timeless interest.”

Oregon-based Multnomah is Random House’s second Christian imprint. The first, WaterBrook Press, was created in 1996.