Bible Review - The Schuyler Personal Size Canterbury

18 days ago

I've been looking for 'the one' for years now. Since I decided to take the leap into finding a new bible that would end up being my every day carry, I've gone through quite a few. From Cambridge to the Thomas Nelson Premier collections, from TBS Bibles to some unique denominational focused bibles....It's been quite an adventure.

But there was one brand I never really thought about, for whatever reason, until the past month. I saw a few reviews of it's bigger brother, and decided it was time to give the Schuyler bible a try!

And not just any of their versions, the Canterbury was considered by some in the bible collection world to be the top of the food chain. So a few weeks ago, the personal size Canterbury arrived at my door. Here's a review :)

The clam shell box it comes it was classy and elegant. The matte finish of the box really added to the experience of unboxing it. So far, I'm impressed...

With all premium bibles, you get a sort of guarantee with them. Schuyler prides itself with not using a single piece of the book from China. Personally, I don't care where the bible is printed or manufactured in, but for them it's a big deal. Whatever works for ya!

Some people aren't fans of the Jerusalem cross that they use for their logo. I'm meh about the whole thing, kind of like their anti-China publishing stance. For me the 'money shot' for the experience of this bible is the goatskin leather cover.

It's absolute perfection! The feel of it, is unmatched. And I rate it just as good as Thomas Nelson's premier collection goatskin and the Cambridge goatskins as well. Very nice texture!

The spine has 5 raised hubs on it with gold stamping for the words and logo. I personally love raised hubs, there's something about it that just makes a bible fit perfectly in your hands.

The personal size Canterbury comes with two satin ribbon markers. Elegant ribbons, that are cut perfectly. And there's a good look at the gold gilt around the bible. It also has a red under gold art gilt edging as well. Once again, a very classy look and feel to the bible.

But what makes the Canterbury so famous in the bible collecting world is....The drop caps!

At the beginning of every new chapter in scripture, we see decorative drop caps that start the chapter. This has been so famous that the mega publishing company Thomas Nelson actually 'borrowed' this look for their Sovereign collection. It caused quite a stir as you could imagine.

The typesetting is very clear and easy to read. Which was created by 2KDenmark, the experts in bible typesetting who are responsible for the Comfort Print by Thomas Nelson. The font just pops and is so easy to read. While it's not huge, I'd guess it's around a 8 point font or so, it stands out on the page.

Speaking of the pages....

The Canterbury doesn't cut corners when it comes to their choice of paper. This is premium French paper which is 28 gsm. And while 28 gsm might be a lighter weight then most premium bible paper, this is simply the most elegant bible paper I've ever felt. Creamy almost lol But very easy to turn, and has great opacity.

These pictures actually capture much more see through than there actually is. It's a really enjoyable reading experience. That being said, I wouldn't even try to write a single word on it. I saw a bunch of bible reviews of the Canterbury where people said you can use a super fine Pigma Micron, but I wouldn't even try it. This isn't a note taking bible, this is much more of a daily reader.

But what's funny....They actually have about a dozen note taking pages in the back of the bible.

There was one blemish I found with it though...

The stitching for the back cover, had some thread that didn't look like it was secured. I tried to tug at it gently and it didn't unravel. But it is a concern for me. I let Schuyler know and they didn't offer a refund or replacement even with their fancy 'guarantee' I showed above.

Here's the thing....I have some premium bibles that were published in China that have zero blemishes and for a company that brags about how superior their manufacturing is, this struck me as odd. I even got a signed piece of paper from the company with an employees name that did a quality control chck before it was shipped.....Welp.

However, this isn't a deal breaker for me. Far from it. However I did find it so odd after the big deal they make on their website about being 'not made in China'.

Overall, the personal size Canterbury is a fantastic bible. While I'm not sure it will become my every day carry, it's been in my bible bag since I got it and it's been used every day since. A true joy to read God's word from, and I just pray the cover doesn't unravel lol

Here's a snap shot of all the features from the back of the box....