Versatile and prize-winning artist and illustrator, using a variety of media, born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, who studied at Stoke-on-Trent College of Art. He was best known for his landscapes, especially of the Lake District, where he lived, also for his portrayal of the desert, in the Middle East, where his work sold well. Completed many calendars, cards, posters and book-jackets, notably the cover of E Nesbit’s The Railway Children, Penguin Popular Classics, the only contemporary artist featured in the series. HRH The Duke of Kent was among famous collectors of Cooke’s work.