When Andrew Dickson proposed to write a Rough Guide to Shakespeare on a drunken night out with his colleagues, he never dreamt it would go on to occupy three years of his life.

By the following morning, the 25-year-old former pupil at Ermysted's Grammar School in Skipton couldn't even remember the details of what he had suggested.

But he soon got to work when he found out the idea could find its way into print.

"We were sat in the pub and I suggested it as a joke but the commissioning editor took me seriously," recalled Mr Dickson. "The next day he told me he'd liked the idea and asked me to put together a proposal, but I couldn't remember which idea he had liked."

He said he wanted to write a book that would appeal to people of all ages and all backgrounds - everyone from pensioners to academics.

Mr Dickson grew up in Addingham and joined Rough Guides as a writer after graduating from Cambridge with a double first in English Literature.

He worked on a number of books, including The Rough Guide History of England and The Rough Guide to Classical Music, before the company commissioned his latest book in May 2002.

Mr Dickson's parents live in Bingley and he did most of the work for the final draft at their home.

He said: "It involved a lot of research at the British Library and at libraries in Cambridge.

"But one of the great things about doing this book is that a lot of it was about going to the theatre, and watching DVDs of the plays."

The book is split into chapters which deal with each of Shakespeare's plays and his major poems, including a critical essay, history and recommendations for further reading.

The book discusses notes on audio and film versions and the thespians involved.

Mr Dickson said spending such a long time delving into the playwright's life and times had had its ups and downs, but he had loved it.

"The wonderful thing about it is that you realise that plays change so much with time and there are so many different ways you can interpret them," he said.

"You don't have to understand these things in a simple way and they can be interpreted on different a level, that's what makes Shakespeare so great."

Mr Dickson returned to Cambridge in 2003, and was awarded an MPhil with distinction in Renaissance Literature.

l The Rough Guide To Shakespeare will be officially launched on April 21 at The Globe Theatre, two days before the playwright's birthday, and goes on sale on April 28.