The Religious Nerd

 

With a ten day forecast of thunder, lightening and rain I took the opportunity to sneak away today to take some photos and spend some time with the Schuyler Treveris.  This post isn’t a review of the book per say.  Pastor Randy A. Brown already did all of the hard investigative work detailing the who, what, when, where and why’s of the book.  You can read his excellent review by clicking HERE. I truly have nothing to add to what he wrote other than more photo’s in varying light conditions along with a few fun anecdotes. And If you end up wanting to purchase the book or want to read additional reviews, click HERE.

A quick summary of the Treveris’ features:

The book has sold well, despite featuring the KJV.  I mention this as I have seen many evangelical types lament the choice of translation for this initial offering.

A #1 seller, which goes to show (from a business perspective) that it makes sense to start with the international best selling English translation King James Version.  Anyone who has followed Schuyler Bible Publishers knows the owner/leadership team also fancy the translation, and when you own your own business you can do what you want (to a certain extent.)  The pastors of small and medium sized churches may have rolled their eye’s at that comment.  There are always consequences for decisions made and no shortage of expert opinion as to how things should be done.

But again, anyone who has been around the premium bible community for more than a year knows it’ll only be a matter of time before the publisher offers the Treveris in a variety of translations.  Not even a month since the Treveris KJV was released and Evangelical Bible is doing market research for a Treveris ESV.  This author speculates the Treveris will be offered in additional translations including the NASB, NKJV and maybe even the NLT or CSB.

It makes good sense they’re doing market research as the Treveris is a nice book.  A really nice book.

Not exactly bible yoga but a motorcycle gas tank seems to make a decent pulpit.  

On my edition I had the publisher imprint my name; the “Brandon M. Vaara” bible has returned.  The imprinting was done accurately and evenly.

The printing in this edition was executed with precision.  The presence of the color red on pages is beautiful and likely warmly welcomed by staunch red-letterites, though for fun I’ll point out the early manuscripts lacked the red text (as well as the English words…)

The goatskin has a nice grain and is consistent with other premium books offered by Schuyler and Jongbloed.

The Schuyler Jerusalem cross looks nice on this copy.

The blue under gold art gilt edges are without blemish.  Look at the reflection.

There is no presence of glue which might be explained by the stitching around the cover perimeter.

The line-matching is consistent, page after page.  Yes there is bleed through apparent with this 28 gsm indopaque paper.  But guess what, there is bleed through on 36+ grain paper as well.  That is an objective fact.  If you don’t want bleed through, consider a Kindle edition of your favorite edition instead.  The line-matching and bleed through remind me of the Cambridge Clarion, a book I had the privilege of reading cover to cover back in my seminary day’s.

Photo’s of poetry sections and photos of OT and NT for your analysis.

All of the previous photo’s were taken outdoors at a couple of my favorite spots.  It was a cloudy overcast morning.  I opted to shoot a few at the home office as well and also include some comparison shots with the RL Allan 43.  I know, these two KJV books are apples and oranges.  But not everyone can purchase both, so they may appreciate a photo comparison.

I like the Schuyler box more than the Allan box.  The Schuyler box has a clam shell design and isn’t porous like the Allan box, meaning it’s less likely to be blemished and easier to wipe clean.  It’s also black, my favorite color and default selection for color of a premium bible purchase.  I selected the navy blue primarily to show readers the difference between Allan’s navy and Schuyler’s navy. The book fit well inside my motorcycle backpack along with a couple bottles of water and other supplies.  The backpack felt light even after a couple of hours of riding.

The ribbons are cut at the same angle and there is some slight fraying at the ends.

Anyone remember the Brandon M. Vaara 400th anniversary edition of the RL. Allan 53 in navy blue calfskin?  It was a bit comical when I listed it for sale nine years ago with the name imprinted on the cover.  Hey, what can I say, I like to get my hands on new editions and no publisher wants to send me copies for free to review.  I’ve grown a bit since then and hope to pass along this copy to one of my kids.

The raised ribs on the spine of the Treveris are nice and noticeable.  I hope they stick with this classy design feature going forward.

The yapp width is the same around the entire book.  The gold perimiter is precise.

Look at the calfskin lining.

A closer look at the stitching.

Published in 2019 by Schuyler Bible Publishers, an American company based out of Virgina.  Typeset design by 2K in Denmark.  Paper supplied by Papeteries du Leman of France.  Printed and bound by the experts at Royal Jongbloed in Netherlands.  Rest assured there were a lot of hands that touched this book.  Experts of their respective crafts.

Owning and operating a small business, I’ve come to develop a different perspective on products and offerings from other artists and businesses.  Instead of looking for the negatives in products (printed or bound in China, low gsm paper,  not my favorite translation, too expensive, don’t agree with the philosophy of the owner/company,  etc) I find myself finding the many quality characteristics.  In the case of the Treveris, we have an innovative design, offered in a relatively thin, lightweight and portable package, compromised of high quality materials and hand made by folks who’re truly the experts of their craft.  It’s a true work of art!

And as a neuro divergent person, I appreciate the uncluttered design.

Some comparison photo’s of the Treveris and Allan 43. Click HERE for my review of the Allan 43.

Both are navy blue.  The Treveris has a gray tint to the blue while the 43 is a royal blue.  To be honest, I like the Allan navy more, but that is subjective.  I will likely order the black or slate variety of the Schuyler CSB when it comes to market.

Look at the boxes. While the two books are close in dimension they aren’t the same.

The Schuyler text block is a bit thicker.

The red under gold art gilt edges of the Allan are a bit more noticeable at first glance when closed on a desk.

Royal blue Vs. greyish blue (at least from my eyes)

Similar yapp size but no perimeter stitching on the Allan.

Comparable in size.  Neither book is a thinline edition.  But nor are they full size books, which in my opinion is a good thing.

I like the longer ribbons on the Allan, but again, that’s a personal preference.  I can see how someone would prefer the shorter ribbons of the Schuyler.  It’s almost like comparing a sporty Mercedes sedan with a Porsche.  Both are excellent machines that deserve respect, even if you wouldn’t have one in your garage.

I would love to see Allan implement Schuyler’s raised rib spine.

The highland goatskin of the Allan is different than the goatskin used on the Schuyler.  The Schuyler has a consistent grain pattern across the entire cover while the Allan pattern is more pronounced and inconsistent.  I like the highland better, but again, Mercedes and Porsche.

The calfskin leather linings are different as well.  I like the Schuyler’s (left) more.

If you’re on the fence between these two books and can only afford one I would suggest determining whether you want a single column or double column format.  Obviously there are a lot more factors to consider than columns, but it is great to see the KJV in a readable single column format.  There are ton’s of double column verse by verse KJV books available for purchase.  The Treveris is the BEST single column KJV I have seen to date.

I am no book binder but the art gilt edges coming out of Jongbloed appear to be sprayed on.

The Allan red almost appears like the paper was dipped (or somehow saturated) with red and then gold leaf added (which might explain the second’s that are listed with various gilt issues on Bible’s Direct.)

The 28 GSM paper is good in both of these books.

The Schuyler has line matching.

The Allan doesn’t, though it appears it does on some pages.

If you’re in the market for a KJV either book is a great selection.  If you like the Treveris design but aren’t in love with the KJV translation, I suspect you won’t have to wait long until you can get a Treveris in your translation of choice.  Whatever the case,  there is a lot to be thankful for in the premium bible market with publishers releasing innovative high quality editions.  Let them know that with your support, even if it’s just a kind word on social media.