Internet Archive Book: Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs

Oxford University Press has published many proverb reference books; this one was published in 1948 (a revision of the 1935 edition): Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs by William George Smith and revised by Paul Harvey.

There is a detailed introduction by Janet Heseltine which includes valuable information about earlier proverb collections in English.

The book is over 700 pages long, in double columns, with the proverbs reported in multiple variations:

The book provides cross-references, but of course having the Internet Archive version which you can search is even more effective than relying on cross-references. So, for example, if you are interested in proverbs about oaks, here they are:

With the power of search, the Internet Archive version of this book can be even more useful than the printed version you have on your shelf!

Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs

by William George Smith

(and revised by Paul Harvey)