I am a pretty good programmer(IMO only, of course. Know Python, Java well. Tried my hands at Lisp, Ruby, Haskell). I also know how to use Jquery reasonable well, so I know Dom m
Like others I'd firstly recommend JavaScript the good parts. Another option to consider is JavaScript the definitive guide by David Flanagan. This is also a good book that covers the language well- certainly enough depth for a programmer interested in particular features of javascript. The language part is seperate from the client side stuff- so you can just read the bits that interest you.
Update- I've just checked the book on Amazon it has a whopping 286 customer reviews!
There are a few excellent JavaScript books for various levels.
JavaScript: The Good Parts.
Another good one is "Pro Javascript Design Patterns" by Harmes & Diaz. It starts by showing a number of approaches for simulating classes, classical inheritance, private members, etc., then builds on that to implement several of the more common design patterns seen in other OO languages. Some of the examples do involve the DOM, but they really give a feel for the flexibility of the core language.