thumbnail|right|380px|Chess pieces of Nathaniel Cooke's 1849 "Staunton" design
Nathaniel Cooke was the English designer of a set of chess figures called the Staunton chess set which became the most commonly used chess set worldwide in chess tournaments.
Family tragedy
Herbert Ingram, Cooke's brother-in-law and publishing house partner, was the co-founder of The Illustrated London News. Herbert Ingram died in a maritime accident while travelling in the United States with his son. His steamer, the Lady Elgin, sank in Lake Michigan when another passenger steamer, the Augusta, crashed into the Lady Elgin.
thumb|350px|Nathaniel Cooke's listings in the London Directories
thumb|350px|Marriage announcement in The Illustrated London News, 31 January 1860
Of the Lady Elgins 400 passengers, only 100 survived. The accident occurred near Winetka, Illinois, during an early September storm.
Spelling
Cooke's name was misspelled as "Cook" on the 1849 patent and the misspelling has propagated in chess literature since then.