Here's a most useful book on a little-known aspect of early Mormonism, the Council of Fifty. This Council was Joseph Smith's creation, intended to pave the way for his intended theocratic Kingdom of God on earth, with Smith at its head.
Long out of print, this book is hard to find and is rather expensive. But for anyone who craves information on Smith's very worldly intentions, Hansen's book has yet to be superseded. Of almost equal value is Mike Quinn's two volume set, "The Mormon Hierarchy;" however, Quinn's focus is slightly different and he covers a lot more ground. ( )