The Schuyler Personal Size Quentel Bible Review
Schuyler is a name I see more and more in the premium Bible market. Their Quentel, which is offered in many translations, may be their best selling Bible (see my review of the Credo Quentel here). However, their Personal Size Quentel may be right behind when it comes to popularity.
Besides the quality, one of the most attractive things about these Bibles is that Schuyler realizes the people want options. You can get these Bibles in many of the major translations and in multiple colors all while still having the quality a premium Bible offers. The Personal Size Quentel—or PSQ—that I’m reviewing today is the New International Version in purple goatskin and it is a beautiful Bible.
Essentially, the Schuyler PSQ is a miniature, more portable version of the regular Quentel. With the PSQ, you’re going to get the same high quality in a smaller, more portable package with some minor modifications. We’ll discuss the differences as we go along.
My NIV PSQ arrived in a matte black box with the Schuyler logo on the front. One short side of the box says Schuyler Bibles and the other short side says which Bible the box contains. In this case it reads, “NIV. PERSONAL SIZE QUENTEL, DARK PURPLE GOATSKIN.” The box is sleek and elegant.
Opening the box reveals the Bible. The goatskin is soft and flexible. It has a nice grain. The Schuyler logo is stamped on the front and this is one thing I really like about Schuyler Bibles and I think it makes them unique. The Bible has a 9mm yapp, which seems like a good size for his personal size Bible. The spine has five raised ribs, which I always like the aesthetic of. In gold down the spine it says, “HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, and at the bottom has the Schuyler logo and name”. The back cover has nothing on it. This Bible (as are all Schuyler Bibles) is Smyth Sewn. The outer page edges have a red under gold art gilt.
There are two purple bookmark ribbons in this Bible, which brings us to the first difference aside from size between the Quentel and the PSQ. A regular Quentel includes three bookmark ribbons while the PSQ includes only two. In fact, when I see people rebind or modify the PSQ, I often seem them add a third ribbon. I’m always of the opinion that more ribbons are better so I’d love to see Schuyler start including three instead of just two in the PSQ. That being said, the ribbons seems to be of really nice material—maybe the best I’ve seen.
When you open the Bible you’ll notice it is edge lined with a goatskin liner. Mine has a gold art gilt line with purple or almost burgundy inner liner. The Bible also includes a presentation page in case this was a gift. I think what people really love is Schuyler’s text block. This Bible has a double column text block with an 8.5 font size printed on 28 gsm Indopaque paper. I know for some, font size will be a deal breaker here or it may be the reason they reach for their Quentel. All I can say is this Bible is designed to be portable so I would argue that Schuyler has given a very generous font size here for the size of the Bible. It’s line matched, which minimizes any ghosting, but honestly I think this paper seems to be great at really minimizing it by itself.
Before we move on, one great thing about the Quentel and the Personal Size Quentel is they have the same pagination. This means that they make the perfect pair. The page numbers and format are identical between the two. If Job chapter nine is on page 613 in the Quentel then you also will find it on page 613 in the PSQ. This is a really nice feature.
When looking at a page of text, several things will jump out. First, is the accent colors. Page headings, chapter numbers, and verse numbers for references are all accented in purple in this Bible, which is really pleasing aesthetically. Second, in the NIV, words of Christ are in red. This is a preferential thing, but worth noting. Third, I notice the text notes are on the bottom outer side of each page. This may shorten the outer column, but I don’t find it too distracting. Finally, cross references are blocked off and put at the bottom of each page across the whole page. I really like this choice and think it is much better than a thin, middle column or placing them other places.
The PSQ has over 54,000 references. In the back of the Bible, you’ll find lined note pages (I really like this feature) and maps. All in all, this a great, portable Bible.
Now that I’ve interacted with both the Quentel and the Personal Size Quentel, I must say that if I could only choose one, I’d go with the PSQ. I can easily see how it is becoming Schuyler’s most popular Bible. It’s hard to beat the quality combined with the portability. Obviously, if you could have both, you’d love to. However, if font size is not an issue for you, I’d pick up the PSQ as my go-to.
You can pick up both the Quentel and Personal Size Quentel from evangelicalbible.com
Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this Bible from Schuyler in exchange for a fair and honest review.
