Schuyler Caxton NLT

Jan 18

A closer look at the most premium NLT Bible available today.

Schuyler Bibles has just released a new run of the Caxton NLT, so I wanted to do a review to help you decide if it’s right for you.

If you’re not too familiar with the New Living Translation, its aim to present Scripture in clear, contemporary English puts it on the dynamic or “thought-for-thought” end of the Bible translation spectrum. I find myself reaching for the NLT when I want to hear the Bible in a more modern voice, and I used it a lot when I worked in youth ministry.

In my opinion, the Caxton’s single-column layout fits the modern translation philosophy of the NLT, and when you add in Schuyler’s exceptional exterior aesthetics, you get a Bible that really shines.

*Please note that the Antique Marble Brown goatskin Caxton I’m using for this review is from Schuyler’s last run in 2018. This color option has been replaced in 2021 by their Marbled Mahogany Calfskin, but everything else about this Bible is the same as the new ones.

Schuyler Caxton NLT – Overview

From the outside, the Caxton will be very familiar to Schuyler fans. Printed and bound at Royal Jongbloed in the Netherlands, this Bible features an edge-lined goatskin cover with full leather linings that is extremely soft and supple.* The art gilding looks great, and other touches like the raised spine hubs, perimeter stitching, and ribbons are all just right. I recognize that it’s almost boring at this point to talk about how great Schuyler Bibles look and feel on the outside, but I want to reiterate this fact for anyone who may not be familiar with their work: these are beautiful Bibles that are expertly crafted.

As far as size goes, the Caxton is what I’d call a “chunky” midsize Bible that has a 5.375” x 8.25” trim size and a thickness of 1.75” (including cover). It’s pretty much the same size as my beloved NKJV SCR from Thomas Nelson.

Once inside though, the Caxton becomes one of the more unique Bibles that Schuyler has to offer. It features a single-column layout with cross-references in the outer margins. The main text is an 8.75pt typeface called Lexicon (one of Crossway’s favorite fonts) that is line matched, and the paper is 28 GSM. When I first looked at the page it reminded me of a Cambridge Clarion, and they do have a lot of similarities, but the Caxton is significantly taller (which I prefer).

In the back you get an excellent NLT Dictionary/Concordance, followed by a set of Tyndale maps on slightly thicker Bible paper.

FEATURES
• 8.75pt type size
• 5.375” x 8.25” trim size
• 1.75” thick
• 28 GSM paper
• Line matching
• Edge-lined cover
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Three 3/8” ribbon markers
• Raised spine hubs
• Single Column layout
• Cross-References in the margins
• NLT Dictionary/Concordance
• Full Color maps (Tyndale)

*The 2021 Caxton run is available in six different bindings: Marbled Mahogany calfskin, Black goatskin, Dark Green goatskin, British Tan goatskin, Slate goatskin, and Dark Purple goatskin (the purple edition has blue under silver art gilding, the rest have red under gold).

What If

Unlike the Quentel, Canterbury, or Treveris, the Caxton is not Schuyler’s own design, but rather a text block from Tyndale House (the primary publisher of the NLT). Tyndale actually offers this same text block in a Bible they call the Tyndale Select, but their premium cover options pale in comparison to the Caxton.* Part of me can’t help wondering what the Caxton might look like with the Milo typeface that Schuyler uses in their other Bibles as well as their subtle use of color accents on the page, but the current design of the Caxton is just fine the way it is. Instead, maybe we should hope that Schuyler will give us an NLT Quentel one day (wink, wink… nudge, nudge).

I love a good single-column Bible, and this one is fairly straightforward and comfortable to read. I wish the paper was slightly more opaque, simple because single columns leave a lot of white space in the exact area where the words are most dense on the opposite page (especially in books poetry), but I would not want this Bible to be any thicker than it already is, so I think the current specs are the right choice.

*For those wondering, it’s common practice for premium publishers to do their own bindings of someone else’s text blocks (i.e. all of R.L. Allan’s non-KJV Bibles).

A Bible for Everyone?

It’s not lost on me that in this review I’ve mentioned Thomas Nelson, Crossway, Cambridge, Tyndale, and R.L. Allan. I think what that shows is that the Schuyler Caxton NLT might just be a Bible that could make sense for a lot of different people. Crossway fans will find its typeface familiar, for example, and Clarion fans will enjoy the single-column layout. At the end of the day, it’s a really great Bible, and it’s easily the best premium NLT available today.

Bottom line:
Whether you’re looking for a premium NLT Bible or you simply love a great single-column text block, the Schuyler Caxton is an excellent choice that needs to be at the very top of your list.