The phrase represents a possessive interrogative. It inquires about the ownership of a specific literary work. For instance, the question might be posed upon discovering an unmarked volume in a library or a classroom, seeking to identify the individual to whom the physical book belongs.
Identifying the owner of a book can be important for various reasons. It facilitates the return of lost property, aids in understanding the context of annotations or marginalia within the text, and can contribute to research in fields like literary history or provenance studies. Historically, the identification of ownership was particularly crucial in situations where books were rare and valuable commodities, indicating social status and intellectual pursuits.
