Table tennis equipment in general is so inexpensive as compared with that required in other sports that you should not hesitate to purchase the best. An excellent racket costs about five dollars; a ball, twenty-five cents; and a table, fifty to sixty dollars. A reputable store will sell you good equipment, if you insist upon it. If you wish to be really certain, look for the official seal of the United States Table Tennis Association, which is stamped upon their equipment by those manufacturers whose products meet the minimum specifications laid down by this body.

Since its beginnings in the late nineteenth century, table tennis has acquired a huge number of enthusiastic followers, and the game itself has changed from a parlor game to a real sport. The origins of table tennis, as of most other racket games, are obscure. Some claim that it originated in England; others say it was developed by English army officers stationed in India; and still others assert that it was first played in New England.