AE Bibles Maclaren Rebind (26)

AE Bibles has loaned me rebind of the NKJV Maclaren Bible to review. This one is in purple goatskin, which makes the first time I’ve seen a goatskin edition from them. They have several different types of goatskin. This one is what’s used for their base package. In this article, I’ll look at the purple Sully goatskin and see how it compares to the goatskin editions from several Bible publishers.

It includes:

  • Purple Sully Goatskin
  • Full yapp
  • Perimeter/Spine Tooling
  • Raised Spine Hubs
  • Black lambskin liner
  • Purple paper end sheet
  • Purple Art Gilt
  • Leather purple head/tail bands
  • 3 premium ribbons in 10mm navy blue
  • Base Package features: raised hubs, spine stamping, waterproof treatment

Table of Contents

  1. Video Review
  2. Purple Sully Goatskin Cover
  3. Liner
  4. End Sheet
  5. Ribbons and Head / Tail Bands
  6. Art Gilt
  7. Comparisons
  8. Ending Thoughts on the Purple Sully Goatskin

Video Review

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Purple Sully Goatskin Cover

AE Bibles Maclaren Rebind (27)

The purple Sully goatskin is a rich shade of purple that stands out. I like this color a lot. The grain is pronounced and it looks and feels elegant. It’s about the same thickness as the premium publishers and looks like a Bible they would produce. It has an etched line around the perimeter. On the front is Holy Bible printed in gold. The spine has Holy Bible, New King James Version, and Maclaren Series printed in gold. The spine includes 5 raised hubs. The AE Bibles logo is stamped in gold on the back.

The leather is thick. It isn’t stiff, but it’s not too floppy either. It’s easy enough to hold in one hand, but it can be rolled around if you like to hold it that way. The full-yapp almost overlaps on all sides. The yapp doesn’t get in the way of turning pages.

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Liner

The liner is edge-lined black lambskin. The lambskin is soft to the touch. The edges of the goatskin overlap to the inside and it’s glued to the liner. The front inside has Sully Goatskin dry stamped. The back has Lambskin Liner dry stamped. The edge-lined tab is not very stiff at all. It stays open on the first page of Genesis with no trouble.

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End Sheet

The end sheets are purple paper with a texture that looks and feels like fabric. It’s stiff enough to feel sturdy. It’s glued onto the edge-line tab. The color and texture work perfectly with the cover, liner, ribbons, and head/tail bands.

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Ribbons and Head / Tail Bands

It has three premium ribbons: in navy blue. They’re 10mm wide and they’re extra long. This is more than long enough to pull to the corners to open the Bible. The width feels right for the size of this Bible. Even though they’re a different color, they work perfectly with the cover. The head/tail bands are purple leather. They look to be the same leather as the cover. They give the Bible a finished and elegant look.

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Art Gilt

The page edges are art-gilt with purple. Looking at the options on the website I’d guess it to be Thistle. When closed, the pages are copper. When opened, they’re a rustly/purple color that works well with the purple cover. The edges are clean. Any spill-over onto the pages is very minimal. They look cleaner than the Sovereign in Badalassi Carlo that I reviewed recently.

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Comparisons

Here’s how the Sully goatskin compares to the Thomas Nelson NKJV Maclaren in black goatskin, the full-yapp Schuyler Canterbury in black goatskin, and the Cambridge Turquoise in blue goatskin.

Thomas Nelson NKJV Maclaren in Black Goatskin

The Thomas Nelson is floppier and the grain is less pronounced. It’s thinner and the edge-lined tab is slightly stiffer. It does have a small yapp. The corners don’t stand out. The ribbons are much shorter (but still long enough to use properly).

Schuyler Canterbury in Black Full-Yapp Goatskin

The Canterbury is similar in almost every point except the grain. The Canterbury is smoother. The AE Bibles has a larger yapp. Both have the tooled line around the perimeter, but it’s more noticeable in the Canterbury. The Canterbury has perimeter stitching. It also has a little more of the goatskin overlapping the liner. The corner work is about the same.

Cambridge Turquoise in Blue Goatskin

The Turquoise goatskin is the most similar to the Sully goatskin from AE Bibles. The grain is slightly different, but both are pronounced about the same, the texture is similar, and the stiffness is about the same. The corner work on the AE Bibles is better. The Cambridge has perimeter stitching and no yapp.

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Ending Thoughts on the Purple Sully Goatskin

AE Bibles uses some impressive goatskin leather. I love everything about this Bible. It looks and feels elegant and it easily holds its own against the premium Bible publishers. The Sully goatskin is thick and just floppy enough to still be easy to hold and carry. The colors work perfectly together. The materials and craftsmanship have impressed me even more with every Bible I’ve seen from them including this one. If you’re interested in getting your Bible rebound or purchasing a rebound Bible, AE Bibles is easy to recommend.

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AE Bibles loaned this rebound Bible for an honest review. I was not asked to provide a positive review.