Letter from Charles Dickens, Dover, to Sophie Alberti, 1856 April 30 : autograph manuscript signed.

Thanking her for a copy of her novel Else; saying that unfortunately he does not read German, but his eldest son (Charles Dickens Jr.) does and he has gone through the whole book by his side, which has "enabled me to understand much of its pure idea, and fine, womanly, true sentiment;" mentioning that it will take him a year to finish Little Dorrit; saying that afterwards he hopes to apply himself to learning the German language, since he learns languages quickly and misses so much by not knowing German; describing himself as "very young-looking still [...] a very active vigorous fellow who never knew in his own experience what the word 'fatigue' meant;" describing his exercise regimen and his writing habits: "I write every word of my books with my own hand, and do not write them very quickly either. I write with great care and pains (being passionately fond of my art, and thinking it worth any trouble) and persevere, and work hard;" adding "I very seldom write or talk about myself, but you express your interest so naturally and unaffectedly that I feel I ought to describe myself in the same spirit;" saying that he is sorry to hear her describe her health as "very delicate" and giving her advice about varying her work with exercise or hobbies; describing his plans for the summer and giving her his home address: "... and there I shall always be delighted to hear from you. Perhaps I may see you there one day? If not, I must come to Potsdam after I have learnt German from your book."