What is a summary for A Rulebook for Arguments by Anthony Weston?

Weston’s book is a short breakdown of the concept of the “argument,” what it is and what it is not. The author argues that, contrary to popular opinion, arguments are not merely statements of facts based on nothing other than one’s opinion. Instead, arguments are constructed by supporting certain points of views with reasons, and in this way they tend to be much less antagonistic than disputes, in which people come to conclusions and try to defend them without much, or any, supporting proof. Weston maintains that proper arguments are really a form of inquiry, or the process of coming to conclusions about speculations by considering as much information as possible, and then using that information to defend said conclusions once they have been reached.
Weston then breaks down his book into sections that further explain the different types of arguments that exist. Short arguments contain premises which are relatively straightforward and easy to defend. Such premises can be defended via a variety of methods. The use of examples (from literature, science, etc.) is critical when formulating a short argument. It is typically useful to use more than one example in this kind of defense, unless you are making an argument by analogy, in which one defends a position by examining its likeness to another case. Arguments made by using informed and authoritative sources, such as by consulting medical professionals on questions of health or historians on questions of history, is another solid way to defend an argument using sound reasoning. Finally, Weston argues that some combination of all of these (and other) methods makes for the most convincing case possible.
Extended arguments tend to be more complex, which requires the arguer to break down their larger narrative into simpler premises and then defend these premises one by one. Extended argumentation often requires substantial amounts of research and the ability to simplify this research, and its conclusions, into manageable points for discussion. Finally, longer debates based on extended arguments are likely to be more open to criticism, as they contain a great deal more material that must be considered. Weston urges his readers to deal with objections gracefully, to consider the counterarguments that could be used against one’s point of view, and always remain open to the idea of change. The ability to revise one’s thinking at a fundamental level will better prepare that person to engage in more sophisticated argumentation in the future.