This is a school project which could not be crammed into one night.
For John McGlashan College year 13 pupil Joe Allison, the challenge he set himself became all-encompassing and almost too much at times.
The college has a McGlashan challenge, a task of a physical or mental nature, for any pupil willing to take on.
It does not go towards any academic mark and is not recognised for any qualification.
Being a lifelong rugby fan, and a keen photographer, Allison (18) decided he wanted to chronicle the school's first XV season.
He then decided he would add in some history of the sport at the college and so the book - Tries, Tackles and Triumphs: A record of rugby at McGlashan - was born.
It includes details of every college rugby season since 1919, sections on the important figures at the school's rugby history, a detailed outline of the 2015 season, and the five All Blacks who have attended the school.
Allison said he could not estimate how many hours he had spent on the book.
''I lost count to be honest. Doing the history took the most time. Just having to go through the school magazines and checking other archives cross-referencing stuff'' he said.
His biggest discovery was finding two new All Blacks to whom the college could lay claim.
McGlashan has always listed Andrew Hore, Ron Elvidge and Neil Purvis as former pupils who went on to play for the national side.
But further digging by Allison discovered Ted Stewart and Ian Botting had gone to the college and then gone on to wear the black jersey.
Stewart, a winger, went to McGlashan in 1919-21 and played for Otago while still at school.
He went on to play for the All Blacks in 1923.
Botting, also a winger, joined McGlashan as a 6-year-old in 1929 before shifting to Christ's College in Christchurch for his final years of schooling.
He toured South Africa with the All Blacks in 1949.
Allison said it was a bit of a thrill to discover the college had more All Blacks than it thought.
He was proud of the book, and it was great to chart the first XV's season, when it ended up winning the Otago premier schools title.
The book has a run of 200 with 25 in limited edition, all signed by Murray Halberg, Colin Meads, Hore and Elvidge.
There is also a roll of honour, listing every player who has played for the college's first XV.
Allison played social rugby for the school and is often seen on the sideline of Highlanders and Otago games taking photographs.
The son of rugby commentator Paul Allison, he is off to the University of Otago next year to study accounting and law.
All proceeds from the book will go to the Halberg Foundation.
