From the preface of Perl: The Programmer's Companion:

The aim of this book is to introduce programmers to Perl, and Perl to programmers.
...
[This book] is not a tutorial on computer programming. It is a book aimed at people who already know something -- possibly quite a lot -- about programming, and at least a little about computer science.

He goes on to describe himself as a computer scientist, which he claims isn't always an compliment in the perl world.

So, I think you're right on both accounts. Its not meant for newbies, and it takes a more formal approach than most other perl books.

-Blake