Magazine publisher Bonnier Corp. has grown rapidly in the past year, thanks to several major acquisitions. The most recent, announced today, brings book publisher Weldon Owen Publishing into the Bonnier fold, giving the company its own book division.

Weldon Owen is most well-known for publishing illustrated non-fiction books, including cookbooks. This specialty will mesh well with Bonnier’s stable of titles, including Saveur, which has previously worked in partnership with the publisher. Weldon Owen also produces children’s titles and family/adult reference books, partnering on some of those titles with Bonnier’s Parenting magazine.

This deal marks Bonnier’s fifth acquisition in 15 months, as the three-year-old publishing company seeks to expand its reach. In October, the organization picked up independently published parenting title Conceive, which followed a big deal in June under which Bonnier acquired five Hachette Filipacchi enthusiast titles.

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Previously: Bonnier Picks Up Parenting Title Conceive

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In a week where Condé Nast shuttered parenting magazine Cookie, rival magazine publisher Bonnier Corp. is beefing up its parenting portfolio with the purchase of Conceive magazine.

The formerly independently published magazine — founded by Kim Hahn in 2004 — will join Bonnier’s other magazines in the category, Parenting and Babytalk. Conceive‘s entire staff will be joining the Bonnier team, and the magazine’s Web site, Conceive On-Air radio show and several related books are also part of the deal.

This new addition to the Bonnier family is surprising, especially considering what other companies like Condé are doing. Instead of folding titles, Bonnier has been collecting them, even ones within the same category. This is the company’s fourth acquisition in the past year. In June, the Florida-based publisher bought five enthusiast titles from Hachette Filipacchi, including Popular Photography, Flying, Boating, Sound & Vision and American Photo.

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