Old-School Pong

The photographer Alec Soth published a book this month consisting of vintage table-tennis photos collected from eBay and elsewhere, accompanied by a conversation between the Ping-Pong-obsessed writers Pico Iyer and Geoff Dyer. Table tennis is “a way to do a physical sport that has actual athletic qualities but is kind of contained,” says Soth, who plays every day in his studio. “There’s a real mental element to it. It’s not chess, but your brain is engaged. It’s a break from neuroses.”