Schuyler ESV Treveris
The newest Bible from Schuyler creates yet another premium option for ESV fans.
In 2019, Schuyler Bibles announced the launch of a new Bible design called the Treveris (named after a 16th-century British printer) that would feature a single-column text in a modified “reader” format where chapter and verse numbers are available in the margins, but the text is otherwise quite clean and uncluttered. Designed to complement their flagship Quentel series, the Treveris would offer something different while maintaining all of the premium qualities that have become synonymous with the Schuyler brand.
The Treveris made its debut last year in the King James Version, and now Schuyler has released an ESV edition. My copy arrived last week, and I recorded my first impressions as I unboxed it because I knew I was going to be impressed. I’ve unboxed a couple dozen Schuyler Bibles at this point, and I have yet to be disappointed in their overall quality and beauty.
You can watch my video review below to see a full walkthrough of the ESV Treveris, and keep scrolling to read my full review with high-resolution photos.
Schuyler ESV Treveris – Overview
The main feature of the Treveris typesetting is a single-column text without a lot of extras. Verse and chapter numbers are located in the margins, and section subheadings are in the header. There are no cross-references or textual footnotes. What this creates is a reading experience much more like that of a novel, but you still have enough information to know where you are at all times. Despite this streamlined approach, the ESV Treveris does come with a Concordance and a set of Schuyler Bible Maps.
The Treveris has a 10pt font that is different from the Milo typeface used in the Quentel series. I don’t actually know what the name of this font is, but it’s a bit bolder than Milo, and it has more of a vintage feel to it. The text is line matched on 28 GSM paper that feels great and is adequately opaque. Each chapter starts with a red ornamental drop cap (page numbers, chapter numbers, and headers are also in red). In passages that contain poetry and quotations, the Treveris moves from a paragraph format to a verse-by-verse format that is block indented (each line break is done manually by a designer so that the text reads smoothly and looks clean on the page).
The ESV Treveris features all of the exterior qualities that Schuyler fans have come to know and love, including edge-lined goatskin and calfskin covers, raised spine hubs, and the signature Jerusalem cross on the cover. I think consistency is one of Schuyler’s best traits as a publisher of premium Bibles. In recent years, Schuyler has started to offer Bibles with full-yapp covers, which can be found on all of the new ESV Treveris editions. With the full-yapp, Schuyler puts two lines on the cover, one tooled and one stitched. I think this looks quite nice. Overall, the dark green goatskin Treveris that I ordered looks and feels fantastic.
One of the ways that the Treveris differs from the Quentel series is its size. The text block is 5.5” x 8.5” (just slightly larger than the Midsize Quentel I’ve been hoping for), and it is 1.5” thick when you include the cover. The full yapp makes the Treveris look bigger than it actually is, but I think the size is one of the best features of this Bible.
FEATURES
• 10pt typeface
• 5.5” x 8.5” trim size
• 1.5” thick
• 28 GSM paper
• Edge-lined goatskin/calfskin cover with full yapp
• Leather liner
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Art gilding
• Three ribbon markers
• Single-column format
• Ornamental Drop Caps
• Concordance
• Line matching
• Schuyler Bible Maps
A Hybrid Reader
In recent years, the concept of “Reader’s Bibles” has grown in popularity, perhaps best executed by Crossway. Most of these designs aim to facilitate a smooth reading experience by presenting the Bible in a form without chapter and verse numbers, section headings, and references (the original manuscripts of the Bible did not have these things, but they were later added for the sake of usability, study, etc.). It’s a cool concept, and I like it a lot for those days when I want to sit down for a longer reading session.
One downside of the reader format is that it can often be difficult to know where you are when you’re reading the Bible, and this is one of the dilemmas that the Treveris solves. Schuyler says that their goal for the Treveris design was to “give the Bible reader a format that is free of human commentary… without subheadings, references… but at the same time remains practical for Bible study.” By keeping the chapter and verse numbers in the margins, the Treveris gives readers the best of both worlds. You can easily read this Bible just like you would a reader that does not have verse numbers at all, but having them in the margins is a nice touch.
Another area where the Treveris feels like a hybrid is the typesetting. When I heard that Schuyler was developing an ESV edition, I wondered if they would keep the drop caps and the more vintage-inspired typeface that they used with the KJV Treveris. The fact that they did gives this Bible a unique flair. I imagine that most people would think you were reading a KJV Bible if they looked over your shoulder while you were reading the ESV Treveris, simply because of the drop caps. Part of me wonders what a more modern take on the Treveris would look like, but part of me loves that it gives the text of the ESV a nod to its KJV heritage.
Right For You?
The ESV Treveris is a unique Bible that ticks a lot of interesting boxes.
Single-column
Hybrid reader format
Beautiful aesthetics
Premium construction and materials
Vintage feel
Schuyler makes great Bibles that will last a lifetime, so if the look and feel of the ESV Treveris appeals to you, then you should definitely consider adding one to your Bible library.
BUY THIS BIBLE*
• The Schuyler ESV Treveris is available exclusively from EvangelicalBible.com, starting at $215.
*Pricing and Availability subject to change.
