One of the largest media groups in the world, Bertelsmann of Germany, says it's been given the go-ahead to buy America's second-largest publishing company, Random House.

Bertelsmann intends to combine Random House with its own American subsidiary, Bantam Doubleday Bell, to create the world's largest publisher of general English-language books.

Bertelsmann announced the deal in March, but said it would not divulge the buy-out price until the agreement was approved by American regulators.

The deal brings under one roof some of the biggest sellers in English-language fiction, including Michael Crichton, the author of Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie, and the children's author, Roald Dahl.