Short's Stories, Name Dropping, is the second in a series recounting, with more humor and wit, the author's life and travels. Ronan Short was born in London, England in 1940 and brought up at the British National Institute for Medical Research, where his father was in charge of the animal division.

His early life was full of adventures and encounters. This volume, Name Dropping, Mill Hill, London, NW7, 1950-63, continues his storytelling from adolescence to age 23. He was one of the last people to emigrate by boat from Liverpool to America.