HOBERMAN is a luxury coffee table book publisher based in Cape Town, South Africa. Since its beginnings in 1996, the HOBERMAN brand remains synonymous with iconic photography and the very finest quality finishes in the world of book publishing. The HOBERMAN story is a most unusual and magical one - a tale that (somehow) includes Ancient Greek coins, three Presidents, a coal mine, a misnamed dune in Namibia, Shrek, the cultural revolution of London’s Carnaby Street, a mid-air helicopter crash, Her Majesty the Queen, Chopin’s private love letters, Scarlett Johansson, and a teddy bear.
the HOBERMAN story
BOUND TO INSPIRE.
HOBERMAN is South Africa's most celebrated luxury book publisher. Established in 1996, by father and son, Gerald and Marc Hoberman, the publishing house (with its humble beginnings as a publishing garage) began with a singular vision - to elevate the coffee table book to an art form. At a time in the publishing industry when retailers and publishers were downgrading on quality, convinced that the public only cared about price, the Hobermans took a gamble on there being a market for quality. The industry collectively laughed (as is a necessary element for a good story). When the Hobermans launched their books, with the finest luxury finishes ever seen - hand-stitched silk cloth quarterbinding, triple-coated art papers, high gloss spot UV varnish on every single page, and a patented grey for text (known as "Gordon Grey") - the public response was resounding. Soon, the little independent publishing company from Cape Town became a household name - synonymous with the finest photographic coffee table books in the world - being used by 3 Presidents as official gifts of the country, gracing store windows in Harrods, and producing Official Product for Her Majesty the Queen. 2026 will be HOBERMAN's 30th Anniversary...watch this space for the upcoming documentary about the nothing-short-of-magical HOBERMAN story!
FOUNDER/CEO
MARC HOBERMAN
Marc Hoberman is one of South Africa’s most celebrated photographers. Marc’s career began at the age of 12 when he published his first book, a copy of which was inducted into the Smithsonian Permanent Collection. Since then he has photographed and authored over 40 major titles including best-sellers Namibia, South Africa’s Winelands of the Cape, London! and New York. Together with his late father, the legendary South African photographer Gerald Hoberman, Marc co-founded HOBERMAN, a luxury coffee table book publishing house, with the aim to elevate travel books to an art form. Marc has worked as the official photographer for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and his work has been featured in many prestigious publications including Vanity Fair, TIME, National Geographic, and Vogue.
TEAM
HOBERMAN
Behind every creative breakthrough is a team
that believes in the magic of their collective passion.
The Grandfather of
the Coffee Table Book
GERALD HOBERMAN
(1947 - 2013)
Gerald Hoberman's reputation as “the father of the coffee table book” and the “Indiana Jones of photography” plays testament to his legendary energy, eye for detail and pioneering production quality. His iconic photographic work has been exclusively showcased in over 70 coffee table book titles including Namibia, Wildlife of Africa and Lighthouses of South Africa and international titles such as New York, London and Miami and the Beaches. Hoberman’s photographic career began as a specialist numismatic fine art photographer, publishing his on-axial lighting technique for ancient coins in the widely acclaimed The Art of Coins and Their Photography (Harry Abrams NY, 1981). After years of painstaking macro studio work, Gerald discovered a passion for the great outdoors and his adventures have taken him around the world – from the frozen splendour of the Arctic tundra to the steamy jungles of the Amazon, the vast deserts of Namibia to the vibrant urban jungles of New York, London and San Francisco. Today Gerald's books are to be found in the permanent collection of many important libraries including that of Her Majesty The Queen, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
"President Mandela generously gave us a copy of your 'Cape Town' book. Hillary and I greatly enjoyed looking through it and we it will serve as a wonderful reminder of our visit to your beautiful country."
Bill Clinton