The Brighton Literary Society became defunct in the early 1840s but a new body was soon set up by its leading members. The Brighton Royal Literary and Scientific Institution was based in an annexe of the Royal Albion Hotel and had "a useful existence of 28 years". Its library collection gradually built up over this time: in 1842 it acquired the Mantellian Institution's collection, and it raised money to buy other works by holding popular lectures on scientific and historical subjects and by organising soirées and exhibitions at the Royal Pavilion. The Institution's extensive and "very fine collection" of books formed the basis of Brighton's first public library.
