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Hughes' first children's book due out

LONDON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A children's book illustrator Jim Downer says was the first by the late British author Ted Hughes will be released 50 years after it was written.

Downer, 79, said after Hughes first approached him with the idea for "Timmy the Tug" in the mid-1950s, he created illustrations and some lines of poetry to serve as the backdrop for Hughes' written words, The Times of London reported Saturday.

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"He said: 'Would you like me to take a look?' I'd read his stuff so I jumped at the chance. In those days there were no copying machines, so I gave him the originals, with the string binding and my own attempts at verses," Downer said of their collaboration.

Downer said he suspects Hughes wrote his portion of the book soon after, but it was never published. After Downer and Hughes parted ways, Hughes went on to create more than 20 other books for children before his death in 1998.

Now "Timmy" will finally be released to the general public Sept. 21 thanks to Thames & Hudson, The Times said.

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